Millennium Dark
by Sasha Janre-Ishtar
Summary: *AU* Shadi, Yami, Bakura and Yami Malik are a group called "Millennium Dark" and are currently working on a sophomore album. But a new band is on the rise, named Millennim Light. Yami's hiding something, he's secretly dating ML's lead singer Yugi Motou...
1. Is it over?

Millennium Dark 

Sj 2002

**Disclaimer: **Let's run down the list of what I own, shall we? A lion heart pendent, two pads of post-it notes, three pens, and a dead lava lamp. The only thing even slightly related to Yu-Gi-Oh that I own is a poster of Seto Kaiba with his Blue Eyes White Dragon and something which I think is Exodia. 

**Explanation: **This is an Alternate Universe fic in which Shadi (with the Ankh), Yami, Bakura and Yami Malik form this group called Millennium Dark. I got this idea from a picture drawn by Lizeth, who's also planning a picture with Millennium Light (Yugi, Ryou, Malik and Shadi with the scales). Well, she threw out a challenge, and I accepted, so…yes. Here are the particulars:

_Millennium Dark consists of: _

Yami—Lead Vocals 

Bakura— Electric Guitar and back-up vocals

Yami Malik—Bass Guitar

Shadi (Ankh)—Drums 

Seto Kaiba—Manager and owner of the label MD is signed to, KaibaCorps. 

Joey Wheeler—Millennium Dark's agent and spokesman

_Millennium Light consists of: _

Yugi Motou—Lead Vocals 

Ryou—Bass Guitar 

Malik—Electric Guitar and back-up vocals 

Shadi (Scales)—Keyboards 

Mai Valentine—Manager 

Tristan Taylor—Millennium Light's agent and spokesman 

**Plot: **Millennium Dark is a successful rock band, but their sophomore album process is putting a strain on them, especially the relationship of Bakura and Yami Malik. The pressure's on since a new band named Millennium Light has come out of no where and taken the nation by storm. Yami's hiding a secret from his band-mates; he's in love and dating the lead singer of ML, Yugi Motou. Will this year be the end of a relationship or a band?

**Other characters that may show up: **

Téa Gardener—Yugi's best friend, but stalks Yami 

Mokuba Kaiba—Seto's little assistant ^_^ Couldn't resist! 

Maximillion Pegasus—TV host of "Battle of the Bands" ß ooh look at me stealing names!

Well that about covers it. Let's get started! There is Bakura/Malik and Yami/Yugi Yaoi pairings!

**Chapter 1              "Is it over?" **

            "Remind me never again to agree to something as stupid as this publicity tour," Bakura muttered, as he flopped into the comfy chair in the band's hotel room. His angular-cut white hair fell around him as he sank into the chair. "I friggin' hurt in places I never knew could hurt before!" 

            Shadi, who was the unspoken older brother of the group, shook his head as he tied his long black hair into a ponytail. "We're all tired, Bakura. But it's for—"

            "The good of the group. I've heard this shit before," Bakura finished for the older boy, rolling his eyes. "Our album hasn't even been finished yet! Why are we running all over the country promoting it?" 

            "It's just one of those things that we as the band aren't supposed to understand," Yami replied, as he glanced over at Bakura. "I suppose it's just to let the entire world know we're not dead yet," he finished logically. 

            Malik Ishtar rolled his eyes and leaned over the chair Bakura was sitting on, letting his tanned arms rest limply on Bakura's toned chest. "Whatever you say, Yami. Does anyone know what hell we're going through tomorrow?" 

            As if on cue, the band's manager, Seto Kaiba walked into the room. They often joked about Seto's age, since Shadi was really older than Seto, but had to take orders from someone a few years younger than he was. "Listen up because I'm only going to say this once," Seto began, in his usual no-nonsense tone. "You've got three interviews in succession, starting with Kiss 92 FM at 6:30, then immediately after that you have one with the Rock Radio station, I forget the name…at 7:45. Finally, you've got to spend at least an hour and a half at Much Music, doing an Intimate and Interactive with George…his last name's too flipping long…"

            Shadi raised an eyebrow. "Stroumboulopoulos?" 

            Seto snapped his fingers. "Yes, that was it. Anyway, after those three, you've got two meet and greets at a two malls, and then an hour and a half before we have to be on a plane to Tokyo from the Toronto International airport." 

            "Tokyo! How long is this plane ride?" Bakura demanded, not looking too pleased. 

            "17 hours," Seto replied calmly. "You'll survive." 

            "Just barely," Yami Malik grumbled, letting the sunglasses that covered his violet eyes slide down his nose. Seto rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. "What a slave-driver we've got for a manager, hey guys?" 

            Yami fingered the puzzle that he wore around his neck, slightly lost in the glow the object sometimes emitted. "He's just doing his job," he said to Yami Malik. "Granted, it does seem a little…" 

            "A little too unreasonable," Shadi finished, nodding. "We should get some rest. We're going to need it tomorrow." 

            Just as the four males were about to get up and change to sleep, Seto opened the door and poked his auburn coloured head in. "You've got rehearsal in half an hour." 

            Collectively, as their manager closed the door, the band emitted a long string of curses that surely did not please their neighbours. "How the hell does he expect us to _rehearse_ of all things when we can't even move!" Bakura hissed. 

            Shadi put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Well there's nothing we can do about it now. Rest your eyes for the time we have and pray that our rehearsal doesn't go on too long. Yet, knowing Seto—"

            Malik raised a hand. "Please, Shadi, for the sake of my sanity, whatever's left of it, please do not finish that sentence." Shadi laughed and nodded. Yami Malik grabbed the remote control and clicked the TV on. 

            "There could be trouble for the rock group _Millennium Dark_," The reporter began, catching the attention of the four males in the room. "It seems there is a new band rising fast, their name, _Millennium Light_. They've taken over the UK and it seems, they are planning on doing the same to their home country of Japan and the rest of the world." 

            "Couldn't they have least tried to be more original?" Bakura questioned, raising an eyebrow at the picture of the band. "They totally ripped off our looks too!"

            "The lead singer, a young boy by the name of Yugi Motou, may be short, but boy, does this little guy pack a punch with his voice and lyrics!" The reporter praised. Yami bit his lip, clutching the Millennium Puzzle in his hands tightly. "Now why he may have an uncanny resemblance to MD's Yami, don't be fooled, these two are quite different from each other." 

            Malik raised an eyebrow to the reporter's last few remarks. "That kid may have stolen your hair, but he doesn't look like he's any better than you are. What kind of cheap drugs is this woman on?" 

            "Shh," Yami commanded, holding up a hand as the monitor switched to an interview of the young singer. "Let's just see." 

            'What do you think of Millennium Dark's Yami? You two do look remarkably similar. Are you related?' the reporter in the clip asked.

            Yugi shook his head with a smile. 'No, we're not. But I do respect him. He's got a lot of talent, and it clearly shows in his lyrics.' Yami's face blushed slightly and uncharacteristically when he heard this praise. 'And for the record, he stole _my_ hairstyle, not the other way around!' Yami chuckled at this, then froze when he realise he did it out loud. 

            Shadi was the only one who noticed, as Bakura and Malik were discussing how cheap and uncreative ML was. "Yami," he whispered, "did you just chuckle at what that Yugi Motou just said?" 

            "Um, no, no I didn't," Yami denied, regaining his usual calm demeanour. "You must be hearing things, Shadi." 

            The older boy didn't look so sure. "Right. Well I hope you haven't gone mad from sleep deprivation. We need you alive before the first leg of our tour starts." 

            "I'll be fine," Yami said, waving his hands. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." He got up, and exited the room, walking down to the lobby and to the payphones. Quickly he put a dime and a quarter in the slot, and dialled a number. 

            Waiting after two rings, an eager young voice picked up. "Hello?" 

            A smile came to Yami's lips. "Hello little one." 

            Yami's smile became wider as gasp was heard on the other end. "Yami! I was wondering when you'd call! How was your day?" 

            "Utter, utter hell, little one," Yami sighed, leaning against the pillar that was to the immediate left of the phone stall. "But I'm feeling better now that I'm talking to you. I saw you on the news just now." 

            "You did? I looked like an idiot, didn't I?" Yugi said a little deflated. 

            "You looked very handsome," Yami replied, a smile on his lips. "I just called to say I love you, Yugi. I have to go now. We have rehearsal soon." 

            Yugi sighed. "I understand. We've got a lot of work to do since we're going on tour soon. I love you too Yami." 

            "Good bye, Yugi." Yami hung up the phone and prayed that no one heard the conversation as he walked back to the hotel room. He entered the room and felt his face get hot when he met with Yami Malik's suspicious gaze. "What's the matter?" 

            "Where were you?" Malik asked, one hand clutching his Millennium Rod. Shadi was sitting on the bed looking at his Millennium Ankh, while Bakura touched his left eye where the Millennium Eye made its residence. The four had been brought together, it seemed, by fate, as each of them had a Millennium item, and they shared a love of music. "You were gone for quite some time. We almost left without you."

            _Crap, was I really gone that long? _Yami thought with slight panic. _Be calm, Yami. _"I went down to the lobby to get some fresh air and I couldn't get away from the press that had sneaked their way into the hotel." _There…that wasn't too pathetic. Now let's just hope Yami Malik believes it._

            Malik sighed, and smacked the lead vocalist upside the head. "What did we tell you about going down there alone? You know how many of those friggin' paparazzi stalk us just to get a stupid picture. Don't do it again." 

            "I hope you know that every day, you're starting to sound a little bit more like Shadi," Yami muttered, rubbing his head. 

            "I resent that," Shadi spoke up, a playful tone in his voice. He got up, and put the Ankh back around his neck. "Let's get going. Joey's going to throw another fit if we're late." 

            Bakura rolled his eyes. "It wouldn't kill him to get some patience." 

            "Maybe you should get some yourself before getting on Joey's case," Yami pointed out. 

            "Shut up," Bakura muttered. "Let's just get this over with, all right? I want to sleep." 

            "We may never get him up ever again!" Shadi joked, poking Bakura in the side. Bakura muttered some choice expletives under his breath and swatted at the older boy. After the ceremonial banter was over, the band was ushered out of their hotel room and went to the hotel's 'performance' room, where their equipment was set up.

            Yami took his place at the front with the microphone, setting it up to his height. Bakura and Malik picked up their respective guitars, and began to tune them up. Shadi took his own sweet time, getting behind everyone and sitting in his spot behind his drums. After a few moments, the boys nodded to one another, and began to play their smash single, 'Everyday' [1]. 

            The hours seem to fly by as the band played song after song from their blockbuster debut self-titled album. They showed no signs of slowing down, as Seto, his younger brother and assistant Mokuba, and Joey Wheeler, the band's agent and spokesman watched on. "Yami's improved," Seto murmured, as he looked at the electric-haired singer. 

            "They all have," Joey added. "Do you remember when we were recording the first album? I thought they were all gonna kill each other." 

            Seto groaned. "I'd like not to relive that nightmare. We almost didn't have a band left to finish the album, much less tour." He looked at Bakura, then to Malik. "And those two. I won't ever forget when they sprang on us that they were a couple." 

            Joey chuckled in remembrance. "Oh yea, that wasn't exactly your finest hour. Fresh off a caffeine hangover and stressed beyond belief, I'm sure it wasn't the best time to find out that those two were together. But hey, what can ya do?" 

            "Absolutely nothing," Seto replied, shaking his head. "This publicity is ridiculous. I know they hate me for getting you to booking them into all this crap, but it's not like I have a choice. They have to get the word out of their album since we're so close to finishing it. But Joey, those Millennium Light guys, I'm not liking this." 

            "I know what you mean," Joey conceded, "It's bad enough they look almost identical to our guys, but they're becoming rapidly popular. Almost to the point that it's ridiculous. But I'm sure our boys will get the job done." 

            "I hope so," Seto murmured, "I hope so." 

            "Hey, relax a little, will ya?" Joey asked, putting a hand on Seto's shoulder. "You're gonna get wrinkles before Shadi, man!" 

            Seto chuckled a little, and shook his head. "I can't afford to relax, Joey. There's too much to be done and too little time to do it in." Soon enough, the band finished their rehearsal, and the sweat glistened from the hot spotlights. "You guys did good," Seto called to the band. "You earned your rest." 

            "Well thank God!" Bakura exclaimed, taking off his electric guitar and putting it _gently_ back on the stand. Yami Malik looked on almost fondly as Bakura treated the guitar like a child. "Let's get the hell out of here." 

            The rest of the band concurred, and walked out of the performance room, but Seto pulled Yami to the side as everyone left. "Yes, Seto?" Yami asked curiously. 

            "You've got one thing to do that doesn't involve the rest of the band. I just got the call and I figured I should tell you now," Seto began, and Yami raised an eyebrow. "Much More Music wants to do a little interview with you and Yugi Motou. Together…at the same time."

            Yami's amethyst eyes widened, and he bit his lip slightly. "I see…" 

            "This is after you do your _Intimate and Interactive_ at Much Music since it's at the same building," Seto explained further. "We have an hour or so before we head to the malls, so you'll have enough time to complete the interview and sign a few autographs even. But Yami… there is bound to be a highly profiled rivalry between Millennium Dark and Millennium Light. I want you to—"

            "Protect the integrity of the band," Yami finished to Seto's confirming nod. "I'll do just that. Good night, Seto." Seto nodded once more, and Yami left the room, taking the elevator solo. _Figures this'd happen to me…keep yourself together Yami. All you have to do is keep this from everyone else. They wouldn't understand. All it is one little interview. Keep your mouth shut and it all should be okay. I hope. _

**-TBC-**

**Author's notes: **[1] Song is copyrighted to Bon Jovi. Please review, feedback is something I'd appreciate. And yes, I am working on "Scars and Tears" ^_^ Don't fret! 


	2. Complicated

**Chapter 2              "Complicated." **

**Author's notes: **Don't worry, no Avril Lavigne shameless song-fic here…although the song is still playing in my head…anyway, thanks so much for the reviews! They really encourage me to produce the best fic I can. 

**The thing about 2 Shadi's: **Okay, there's been confusion about my saying there are 2 Shadi's. There is just 1 Shadi, but Lizeth and I decided to split him into two, since he technically doesn't have a yami and ML is MD's counterpart. The Shadi in Millennium Dark has the Ankh, and the Shadi in ML has the Scales. I apologise for any confusion. Also, Bakura has the Millennium Eye, since he stole it from Pegasus, and Ryou has the Millennium Ring. Yugi has half his puzzle (Yami has the other half, insert cutesy 'destined to be together' explanation here), **and I'm going to use Malik's Japanese name, Maric just so I can use plain 'Malik' in MD**. Clear as mud? I hope so. As well, there's going to be SHADI, in MD, and SHAADI in ML. 

*          *          *

            Yugi Motou sighed and tapped his pencil against the pad of paper in front of him. Make that the _blank _pad of paper he had in front of him. There was supposed to be a finished and perfected song on this pad of paper, but currently, there was nothing. All that ran through the young man's mind was Yami. The handsome older boy at first treated Yugi like a little brother when they first met, but quickly, those feelings turned into attraction and love. Just thinking of Yami brought a huge grin to Yugi's face. The mood was suddenly destroyed when Yugi's thoughts went to the fact that Yami was the lead singer of Millennium Dark, his band's rival. Yugi sighed inwardly, and absently began writing down abstract ideas. Or, at least he _thought_ he was writing down ideas. 

            "I see you're hard at work," Ryou's accented voice cut through Yugi's thoughts. Yugi jumped, and stared at the pad of paper, which to his utter horror, had 'Yami' written in many different ways in scattered places. "Still haven't finished the song, eh?" 

            Yugi sighed. "It's harder than I realised. The ideas just aren't flowing," he admitted, erasing Yami's name furiously. "What time is it?" 

            Ryou smiled and sat down near the younger boy. "It's almost lunch," he replied, running a hand through his white locks. "I got the short straw to come and break you from your trance. We're going to order fast-food." 

            At that moment, before Yugi could reply, Shaadi and Maric walked into the room. The two older boys of the band were close, as they had been friends before the band was formed. Ryou and Yugi liked to joke to each other that the two were in love, but were too shy to admit it. Of course, Shaadi and Maric didn't know of these little conversations, and for that, Ryou and Yugi were immensely glad. "How's the song coming along, Yugi?" Shaadi asked.

            Yugi showed him the scribble/eraser-attacked pad of paper with a frown. "It's not coming along at all, Shaadi," Yugi said, sighing. "I'm suffering from a case of writer's block." 

            Maric put his thumb of his left hand under his chin, his index finger resting on his chin, just under his lips. "You're probably pushing yourself too hard. When you do so, you tend to focus more on the fact you need the song finished rather than the song itself," he said logically. "You should give it a rest, Yugi." 

            "I'm all for that," Yugi said with a smile, causing Maric to laugh a little. "So, what do you want to eat, guys?" 

            "No hamburgers," Ryou immediately said, wrinkling his nose. "After our little adventure in McDonald's, I'm not going to eat another hamburger ever again." 

            Maric laughed. "Come now, Ryou, it's not _every time_ that you're going to get two paper clips in your hamburger." 

            Ryou stuck out his tongue immaturely. "That's not the only thing! Have you _heard_ what they make those things out of? It's utterly disgusting!" He jumped up to emphasize this point, the pointers of his Millennium Ring jingling loudly. 

            "Okay, fine, no hamburgers, we got the point," Shaadi said, laughing. "There's no need to have a coronary over it, Ryou." Ryou made a face, but sat back down. "So there's no hamburgers. How does Pizza sound? Are we all okay with that?" 

            A collective nod confirmed that Shaadi's choice of food was just right. Shaadi picked up the phone and gave the order; already knowing what kind of Pizza everyone wanted. Half Pepperoni and half 3 cheese. "Let's just hope now that our deliverer isn't some teenage girl," Shaadi said with a smile. 

            Ryou chuckled, "with our luck, I wouldn't be so sure." 

            "No, our luck would be having a teenage _boy_ delivering it and yelling how hot and cool we are," Maric countered, a smirk on his face. 

            "Ah yes, how could I get _that _mixed up?" Ryou said, slapping his forehead. They shared a laugh before Ryou said, "I'm glad we got this time off." 

            "No matter how little of it really is time off," Yugi added. Suddenly, the door flung open and there stood their beloved Manager, Mai Valentine. She was dressed to the nines in a sleek blue suit. "Mai?" 

            She smiled at them, and turned her lavender gaze to Yugi. "It seems you're slated for an interview later today, Yugi. At Much More Music, with…" She said the name with such disdain, "Millennium Dark's Yami. They wanted to do a double interview, because of their album hype and our debut album sales." 

            "Oh boy, here we go," Ryou murmured, "another one of her 'beat 'em into the ground' speeches…you'd think she'd know we know all of them already." 

            "Shh, she'll be on your case next," Shaadi warned. They all straightened their posture, and pretended to be listening as their manager went on yet another rant. She was notorious for such things, and the four boys had devised creative ways to not listen, yet make it look like they were. "Mai…Mai dear, you're turning various shades of purple. Maybe you should stop now…MAI!" 

            The blond manager stopped abruptly at the usually soft-spoken male's rise in voice. "Yeah, what's the matter, hon?" 

            Shaadi put a hand to his forehead. "We got it. Yugi's got an interview with MD's Yami and Much More Music. AND before you say it, yes we realize the implications of this and no doubt he won't let MD destroy our image." Mai looked content and placed a kiss on Shaadi's cheek, praising him a little before walking out. Ryou noticed a flash of jealousy dance across Maric's violet eyes and raised an eyebrow. Shaadi turned to Yugi. "You look like you've seen a ghost, you're so pale, Yugi." 

            Yugi started, and clutched the pad of paper closer to him. His mind was racing at incredible speeds. He was…going to be in the same room as Yami…on national TV? It was bad enough he couldn't control his happiness on the phone with the older boy, but they were going to be in such close quarters…He snapped out of it when he heard Shaadi's voice. "Why would they want just me? I can't do this alone." 

            The older boy smiled and put a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "We know how scared you are of doing interviews alone, but don't you worry about it. Ryou and I have to make an appearance at the mall, but Maric will come with you to MMM all right? Will that make you feel better?" Shaadi asked kindly.

            "Oh, sure, make _me_ go," Maric said jokingly, poking at Yugi's hair. Yugi instinctively swatted at the blond boy, and ended up smacking Maric in the face. "Ow!" 

            "Oh, sorry, did I hurt you?" Yugi asked, grinning. 

            Maric rubbed his nose and gave the lead singer a glare. "You're so lucky that I'm too tired to deal with you." 

            Shaadi laughed. "Yes, because every other time you would've beaten him up and suffered the wrath of Mai." Maric rolled his eyes, unwilling to admit that his best friend had a point. "But we know you wouldn't intentionally hurt our lead singer." 

            "Yes, because I like the Smurf as a brother," Maric said, getting Yugi into a headlock. 

            "Maric!" Yugi exclaimed.

            "Yes?" 

            "Let me go!" 

            "Not on your life, Smurf." 

            "BLONDIE!" 

            "SMURF." 

            "You said that already!" 

            "So? The stupidity of using BLONDIE allows me to say Smurf again," Maric reasoned.

            "That's the most screwed up logic I've ever heard! Let me go!" Yugi struggled. Shadi and Ryou looked at each other, not sure whether or not to get involved. "Shaadi! Ryou! Someone get him off of me!" 

            Ryou came over as did Shaadi, and they both pulled Maric off of Yugi. "All right, come on you two jokers, you've got to get on over to Much More Music," Shaadi said, as he held onto Maric. "And BOTH of you better come back."

-Much More Music- 

            Yami shifted uncomfortably on the large couch, arms crossed over his chest almost regally. It wouldn't be too long before he got to see his small love after so many months apart, but they still had to keep up the pretense of their bands being rivals. And the interviewer – a man named Bill Welychka – said they had to wait for Yugi before starting the interview. It just wouldn't seem right to leave the ML's lead singer's part halfway through. He heard arguing coming from the elevator as it came to a stop and two boys stepped out. Both he recognized immediately.

            Yugi and Maric were continuing the argument they'd had at the hotel when they came to a stop at the floor they were supposed to be on. Yami's eyes went to Yugi immediately and let a brief smile come to his handsome features. The lead singer of Millennium Light was arguing animatedly with Maric about some nonsensical topic, right up until Yugi saw Yami. Maric stopped and looked between the two.

            "By the Gods, you two do look identical," he marveled, then ruffled Yugi's hair. "Although you're too cute, Smurf." 

            Yugi blushed a bright crimson and Yami raised an eyebrow. "Thanks a lot, Maric. I'm supposed to have some bit of my dignity left before I do this interview you know. I think you just destroyed it." 

            'Maybe I should've asked Malik to come with me,' Yami thought idly. 'He and Maric bear a striking resemblance to one another. Although, Malik's hair is far more…out of control.' Yami cleared his throat, getting the attention of the two boys. "We haven't formally met." He extended his hand to Maric. "I am Yami Akaiame."[1] 

            Maric looked at Yami's hand before taking it and shaking it. "Maric Ishtal." Yami gave a slight gasp and Maric raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

            Yami shook his head. "I meant no disrespect. It's just that Malik in my band…his last name is Ishtar. Your names are so similar." Just as Maric was about to question Yami further on this new bit of information, Bill Welychka walked back into the room.

            He gave the two a big grin. "It's nice to have the two of you two here. The way this interview will go is similar to Much Music's _intimate and interactive_. You two will be sitting on two different chairs and I'll be sitting on one in across from you, and the fans will be standing all around and there will definitely be a lot of people outside the building. The fans will ask questions, I'll obviously be asking you the majority of the questions, and there is this thing called _Speaker's Corner_ where fans from around Canada can give a video question and you'll answer it. Clear as mud?"

            Both Yami and Yugi nodded and Maric looked at the two of them. Although he couldn't place it, there was just something about the two of them that wasn't apparent to him right away. And it would bug him until they went back to the hotel, what it actually was. "Good luck Yugi. I'm going to wander around for a bit." Yugi looked slightly alarmed at the prospect of leaving him alone but nodded and Maric left. 

            Yami looked to Yugi and mouthed, "I love you." Yugi blushed and mouthed the same words back, and they waited for Bill Welychka to come and start the interview. 

**-TBC- [1] Akaiame means "red rain" in Japanese**


	3. Getting Personal

****

Chapter 3"Getting personal." 

Sasha's notes: HOY! Greetings and well wishes to everyone. O_o Okay that even SOUNDED weird in my head. Anyway, thanks everyone for the reviews, and here's chapter 3 from the expressway! Also, if you want to see the picture that this fic is based on go here: 

http://www.mediaminer.org/fanart/view.php?id=97847

Lizeth is an amazing artist and by GOD that colouring is phenomenal! That's Millennium Dark, and Millennium Light has yet to be fully drawn and posted. Without further adieu, let's begin!

****

Tricky names to remember: 

Malik Ishtar—Millennium **Dark**

Maric Ishtal—Millennium **Light**

Shadi—Millennium **Dark**

Shaadi—Millennium **Light**

***

—Much More Music—

Yami had been in front of some loud fans in his short career, but whenever he came to Canada, they were a few octaves higher. He flinched—and that was something Yami Akaisura never did—as the girls were informed that the interview would start soon. Glancing over at Yugi—who appeared to be in a whole other world—Yami smiled very slightly. Seto's words echoed in his head: _"There's bound to be a highly profiled rivalry between Millennium Dark and Millennium Light. I want you to protect the integrity of the band." _Yami turned his head slightly and saw his manager standing silently by the door, leaning against the wall. He was the only person from MD that Yami had with him. Joey was with Malik, Bakura and Shadi at their mall appearances. 

Seto wasn't gung-ho about at rivalry between the two bands; all he wanted was for his band's status not to slip into oblivion because of an up-and-coming band. What the young manager was really concerned about was not stomping Millennium Light into the ground—that was not good business—it was to use such a thing to their advantage subtly. Seto Kaiba was not called the best in the business for nothing. There was only one concern to him, and that concern went by the name Mai Valentine. _That woman is off her rocker,_ Seto thought dryly, as he heard Mai sound off on a recent interview. _All she cares about is wiping us off the face of the music world. She'll play hardball there's no doubt…_The young manager's thoughts then went to Yami and his strange behaviour. _I shouldn't be worried; Yami isn't a child, and he's responsible enough. I'm probably worrying about nothing. Still, I should ask him after the interview._

Bill Welychka jolted both of them from their thoughts by calling out to the crowd with his microphone, "here is Yugi Motou from Millennium Light!" Yugi jumped up from the couch he was sitting on and ran out, to a loud amount of applause. Seto nodded to Yami and the younger boy nodded, standing up. "And what's a dual interview without the second half? No less important, here is Yami Akaisura from Millennium Dark!" The applause was the same, no less loud yet it caused Yami to want to plug his ears. He braved it all and walked confidently to the couch, shaking the hand of Bill before sitting down beside Yugi. 

"Before you say it," Yami began, once everything had calmed down, "I did _not _steal Yugi's hairstyle." He gave a little smirk to the smaller boy. "He stole mine." 

"Oh pshaw," Yugi retorted, making a scoffing noise. "You're just jealous because people don't say I stuck a fork in an electrical socket." 

The crowed 'oooh'd before Bill held up a hand. "Hey now, easy with the insults. We're here to have a civilised interview!" He laughed. "Just a good time, that alright with you two?" Both nodded giving joking death-glares to one another. "Now before we start the interview, I want to ask you two separately about your careers. They're similar in that both your bands have achieved amazing success in such a short amount of time. How has that affected your friendships within the band, and how are you dealing with the sudden stardom?" 

He gestured to Yami to begin first, and Yami sat back, his arms folded in that regal style that seemed to be really popular with the opposite sex. "While we had gotten on each others nerves to the point of actual fights, we've gotten through the stardom, the touring, the many appearances and whatnot. The thing that's kept our tempers in check is that we started for the music, and we're going to continue doing it for that. No one person is greater than that, and that is the one thing we all understand," Yami explained, not missing a beat. He had paused when he needed to, his extensive vocabulary allowing him to recover quickly when he was at a loss for words. "Of course, we're facing a big challenge with the emergence of this Millennium Light, but we're not focused on beating them into the ground." 

"So there's no immense hatred?" Bill interjected.

Yami shook his head. "We have no reason to hate these guys. Yes, they are a rival to this 'top spot' everyone seems to value so much, but we don't _hate_ them. That'd be stupid, to hate someone just because they're doing what they want to do just like you are." 

Bill gave a nod and turned to Yugi. "Alright, your turn, Yugi. How has _your _group responded to your quick rise to stardom?" 

"We're still big dorks," Yugi replied off-handedly laughing. The Millennium Light fans began to laugh and Yugi heard a few girls discussing his cutness, and to put that out of his mind before he started to blush, he began to answer Bill's question. "Actually, with all the hectic touring and running around the world, it's brought everyone closer. We knew we were good friends before our first single went to #1, and now that we see each other constantly, and that we're never alone, we just got closer. Sure there were times we were at each other's throats, but nothing serious." 

Bill looked to his sheet of paper with a list of topics to ask the two of them and read a line before saying to Yugi, "now, your manager Mai Valentine has been quoted as saying that you are determined to make the world forget about Millennium Dark. She's notorious for such things, but how does your group handle such pressure?" 

Yugi laughed a little and Yami stole a glance at the younger boy whilst no one was paying attention to him. "Mai is a little off kosher when it comes to this rivalry thing, but we don't think there's a rivalry. Sure, we have variations of the same name and do look kinda alike, but as Yami said, there's no hatred, we don't have anything against these guys. Mai's just…well she's very competitive. We like to joke that she's got something against Kaiba." 

"Something against Seto Kaiba? Like what?" Bill questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

"See that's the thing. We don't know," Yugi said, shrugging. "But with Mai, it's best not to ask. She's (chuckle) well I better not say anything more." The interview went on as expected, with the occasional insertion of a fan asking either Yami or Yugi questions. Most popular was the 'Do you have a girlfriend?' in which the answer was emphatically no. 

The hour was winding down and Yami felt Yugi's fingers brush his own as the younger boy shifted to get comfortable on the couch and resisted the very strong urge to shiver. "Now, as one last thing, and I hope you two warmed up your singing voices, because we're going to have a sing-off," Bill said and Yami blinked. "Well, that came out the wrong way, you two are going to do a duet."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "How do you propose we do that?" 

"It's quite simple," Bill began to explain. "Yami, you're going to sing one of Millennium Light's songs, and Yugi, you're going to sing one of Millennium Dark's. At the end of the songs, we're going to let the fans decide just who is better. For fun, of course," he added at the end. "What do you guys say? You up for it?" 

Yugi spoke up first before Yami had a chance to object with an excited, "Yeah, count me in! It sounds like fun, and it's not like we haven't heard the others' song played over and over on the radio." He laughed. "What do you think Yami?" 

"Well seeing as how I'm outnumbered, why not?" Yami chuckled, shrugging. He took one of the microphones from Bill, and Yugi took the other one. "Do we get to pick the song or do you have that already set up?" 

"You're sharp," Bill laughed and nodded. "Yes, Yugi's going to sing 'Everyday' and you, Yami are going to sing 'Somewhere out there'. That cool?" Both nodded and looked to the band that was behind them of hired musicians. "Yugi, you go first." The smaller of the two singers nodded and as Yami moved to the left, near the back standing beside Bill. His amethyst eyes stayed focused on Yugi. 

The music started and even though the tone of vocals for 'Everyday' was different than what Yugi usually sang, he impressed everyone including Yami by adapting his style to the song, pulling it off very well. "I ain't here to play, I'm gonna live my life everyday," Yugi finished strongly, getting a solid reaction from both the Millennium Dark and Light fans. He bowed once and waved to everyone in the audience and the cameramen. Yugi put the Mic to his mouth after it had calmed down and turned to Yami. "Your turn." 

Yami smirked, and walked out into the centre of the space, as Yugi went to where Yami had been standing during his performance. Part way through the song, Yami turned and faced Yugi, but made it look like he was singing to the fans surrounding his little love. "I hope you remember me when you're homesick and need a change. I miss your purple hair; I miss the way you taste. I know you'll come back someday, on a bed of nails I'll wait; I'm prayin' that you don't burn out or fade away." He sang the rest of the song facing the other half of the crowd and when it came time for the last lyric, he turned back to Yugi. "You're falling out of reach…I know." 

Thunderous applause erupted as soon as he was done, and the two of them embraced in a friendly hug, they made sure it looked like that. Yugi almost put his arms around Yami's neck but remembered with a vengeance where he was and shook hands with Yami when the embrace broke. "Hey, you didn't mess up the song. I'm impressed," he said, keeping up the façade of bantering back and forth. 

Giving yet another smirk, Yami nodded and put the Mic up to his lips, "you too, Smurf. I'm impressed that you could sing a song such as 'Everyday'." 

"Ah, well you learn something new everyday." Yugi grinned and Yami shook his head ruefully, a smile still on his face. 

~ After the Interview, backstage ~ 

Seto walked over to Yami as soon as he came backstage and pulled his singer over to a corner. Yami raised an eyebrow at his manager. "What is the matter, Seto?" Yami asked quietly, as he put a hand on his hip. Seto had a serious expression on his handsome face, and the hesitation to speak worried the tri-coloured haired singer even more. "Seto?" 

The brown haired male gave a little sigh. "There's something I want to talk to you about Yami. I may be just worrying about nothing, but I've noticed something about your behaviour as of late and it's enough to make me worry slightly." 

Yami's face blanched, as he feared what Seto noticed was how he kept escaping to phone Yugi. Was Seto onto him? Onto his relationship with Yugi? "What do you mean, Seto? What have I done to cause you to worry?" 

"Three months prior to this promotional tour, you were silent, responsible and always there ready to work even if you weren't needed. Now, as soon as this promotional tour started, you've been escaping from the hotel suite and coming back late. Now, I may just be speculating, but I wanted to talk to you privately. What is going on, Yami?" Seto questioned, his voice low enough so that only Yami could hear him. 

Yami used all the willpower he had to stop himself from sweating or letting his face get hot with guilt. He appeared to his manager as calm, collected and in control, which is what he wanted. "I did not mean to worry you Seto. But I've been calling home to check on my grandfather. He's been getting sick and my mother asked that I phone no matter where I am in the world or she'd come and kick my ass." This part wasn't a lie at all, it was true, Mrs. Akaisura told her son firmly to phone home at least once a day or else she _would_ come and kick his rock star butt. 

Seto paused for a moment before responding, trying to search through Yami's eyes and find the lie, but he didn't, Yami was far too good at concealing his true emotions. And for all his ability to see through lies, Seto Kaiba could not see the falter in Yami's amethyst gaze. Finally, he gave a slight nod. "Alright, I believe you. But please make sure you tell someone where you're going. I don't mean to sound like an annoying parent, but you know what could happen if you get caught out with the paparazzi." Yami nodded. "Come on, let's get out of here. We've got to catch that plane to Japan." 

"Home sweet home," Yami said with a smile, walking after his manager. He turned and locked gazes with Yugi one more time, giving his little love a rare genuine smile. Yugi brightened and Yami turned his back and walked out of the building with Seto. _Well. That went better than I thought it would. Seeing him again only makes my heart ache to hold him…_

****

-TBC- 


	4. The Way I am

****

Chapter 4"The Way I am." 

Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! If you want to see Millennium Light drawn by Lizeth, go here: http://www.mediaminer.org/fanart/view.php?id=120736 if you want to see Millennium Dark in colour also by Lizeth, go here: http://www.mediaminer.org/fanart/view.php?id=97847 

****

Tricky names to remember: 

Maric Ishtal: Millennium LIGHT

Malik Ishtar: Millennium DARK

Shadi: Millennium DARK

Shaadi: Millennium LIGHT 

****

Pairings: Yami/Yugi … Malik/Bakura … Shonen-ai (Maric/Shaadi) and possibly Seto/Joey…

Dark-Gatomon has this nifty little series called "As If!" and basically what it is a bunch of never-happening conversations in the episodes…kind of like a blooper fic but not. Read it here: http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_st.php?id=20268 

***

__

Yorkdale Mall—Toronto 

Bakura winced as yet another screaming fan-girl told him in tears how much they adored him and treated him and Malik like a religious experience. He forced a smile and signed their arm, shirt, an autograph book, photo whatever it was that they brought in front of him. Malik was faring much better, as he greeted everyone with a smirk, which melted them enough so that they would be speaking gibberish that he wouldn't have to pay attention to whilst signing the photo. Shadi, for the life of him, couldn't understand why the girl in front of him was sobbing hysterically. 

"I…I didn't mean to make you cry," Shadi said panicking a little. He half-stood up and gave the girl a hug, and was surprised out of his wits when the girl's arms snapped around his neck. "Are…are you alright now?" The girl nodded and Shadi smiled and handed her the photo of himself that he had signed. After the girl left, Shadi thought to himself, _these girls think we're some sort of God…_

Malik turned to Bakura. "You look less than thrilled, Bakura." 

"Well that would be because I AM less than thrilled," Bakura replied with a smirk. He put his hand under the table and his smirk widened as Malik took his hand and squeezed it. The two hours seemed to go by like years, but the three kept up a brave face. They would be leaving for Japan to finish recording the album. "I wonder how our brave and skinny lead singer is doing at that Much More Music thing?" 

Shadi turned to the white-haired rebel. "I'm sure he's having more fun than we are." He rubbed his arm, hoping to get some feeling into them after a girl squeezed them enough so that his veins were emptied of any blood that was in them. Shadi smiled though. "But this is something I might never get tired of. All of our fans, they're…" 

"Vocal?" Malik supplied helpfully. 

"No, so appreciative," Shadi replied, laughing as Joey hesitantly turned away the remaining girls, around twelve of them. Shadi turned as they began to protest. "Joey, let them through. They'll be the last." Joey blinked but nodded, letting the girls come. After they got photos signed, they thanked Shadi immensely, and one kissed him on the cheek. A bright red blush showed up on Shadi's brown skin, and it must have been deep if it showed up. Malik laughed outright whilst Bakura kept to quietly snickering. 

"You guys ready to blow this joint? Seto and Yami are gonna join up with us at the hotel," Joey said, after putting his cell phone back on its place on his belt. As spokespeople went, Joey was very laid-back, and very rarely dressed in a suit. Raised on the streets of the Bronx, the blonde knew hard work was the only way to work. Sure he was a bit of a dolt at times, but wasn't everyone entitled to those moments? Truth was, Joey pretended to be a bit of an idiot just to relieve pressure. _Especially to Seto, that guy seriously needed to take a break once in a while,_ Joey thought. Receiving a nod from Shadi, Malik and Bakura, Joey nodded to the security personnel that began to close off the area. "Let's scram." 

Malik looked thoughtful as the four of them walked through the back to get to where their limousine was parked. "Joey, I got a question." 

Joey stopped for a moment and turned to the tanned blonde. "Yo? What's up, Malik?" 

"I was just thinking…how are you the one that can calm Seto down? Even Mokuba can't get him to discharge that temper of his as fast as you can. Why is that?" Malik questioned, and blinked as he saw a small blush dance across Joey's cheeks. It was gone in a flash, and Joey's cheeks returned to their normal, peachy colour. 

He gave a shrug. "You know, I have no idea. I just say what's on my mind. It's how I was raised, and with no manners when it comes to authority, I think that's what gets Seto. Wouldn't recommend that ya try it or anythin'…but that's what I think works." As they began to walk, Joey continued on with their agenda. "Once we get back to the hotel, you have a bit of time to get your stuff ready and as soon as Yami and Seto arrive, we're off to the airport to get on that freakin' long flight to Japan." 

"Ah, but home sweet home," Shadi said with a wistful smile. "It makes the 17 hours spent on that plane seem reasonable." 

Bakura looked at the older boy like he had seven heads. "Oh no it doesn't! I like home and all, but seventeen hours justifies nothing!" He sighed. "Besides, we have to get back in that studio, and I'm not looking forward to it." 

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Oh really Bakura? I thought you of all people would be used to being locked in a room." He dodged a punch from the infuriated guitarist, laughing his head off. "Aw, c'mon Bakura! It's just a joke! Got some sexual frustration issues?" After ducking another punch, Joey coughed and stopped himself from laughing. "Let's go." 

__

The Recording Studio, Tokyo Japan 

Malik looked over at Bakura, who seemed to become more and more like a recluse as the recording went on. The producer kept stopping him on his vocals and telling him to take it up a bit, tune it down, or to 'quit yelling'. Bakura was never one to be patient, or to take criticism very well when force-fed it. The gruelling process was taking its toll on every one of them, from writing the lyrics, to working out a beat, to actually hammering out the final product. It was taking them longer than expected, and this producer was not helping any. He seemed to have a thing against Joey, always calling him 'dweeb'. 

Shadi had just finished up his drum solo so to speak, and was walking out of the room. The producer turned to Joey. "Dweeb, where's your electric guitarist?" he asked, a strong American accent shining through. 

Joey twitched. "Bakura just went to get something to drink, 'Bandit' Keith." He resisted the strong urge to punch out the producer, but he was supposedly one of the best, and Seto told him to tolerate Keith. Didn't ask to tolerate, TOLD him to tolerate Keith's provocative attitude. It would be hard, Joey had one of the shortest tempers in the world. But he had to, if he wanted to keep his job. Yami had put a hand on his shoulder and told him this quietly but frequently.

Bakura soon returned with a bottle of Aquafina water. Keith turned to him with a frown on his face. "Where the hell were you? We're running on time being paid for by YOUR manager. I'm sure he wouldn't want to have it wasted on you running for water." 

"I have one thing to say to you—fuck off," Bakura said swiftly, picking up his guitar. He put it over his shoulder and tuned it up. After a little bit of tuning, he was satisfied with it and walked into the recording booth. He looked extremely focused, and throughout most of the song, he was flawless, that was until his finger slid to the wrong chord and had to stop. "Shit," he cursed under his breath.

Keith's voice came in over the speakers in the room. "What was that?" 

Bakura pursed his lips. "It was a mistake. The only one I've made in two minutes of recording, that's what it was." Malik noticed that he was closer this time to erupting, and he knew how violent Bakura could get when his chain was yanked too much. Shadi turned to Malik with the same worried look. Keith said nothing but pressed the button back and Bakura continued until he was so deep in thought about the first mistake, he made another one. "Goddamn it." 

Keith raised an eyebrow and drummed his fingers on the control board. Bakura was never one to make mistakes and when he was, he was not 100% concentrating. "Bakura, are you even here in this studio or is your mind somewhere else? Look, if you're not willing to continue we can q—"

"No!" Bakura yelled, causing Shadi to wince. "I won't give you the satisfaction of causing me to quit. I can finish this. Just play the damned tape again." Keith cursed under his breath for being talked to like that, but reminded himself he was being paid to tolerate these brats. He pressed 'play' and waited for Bakura. Finally after a tense-filled minute and thirty seconds, Bakura finished his part, and got out, quickly walking out of the studio. Malik walked out after him and stopped him. "_What_?" Bakura snapped.

Malik was taken aback but kept his stance. "What was going on in there? Was your mind somewhere else, Bakura?" 

Bakura groaned. "Not you too! I thought of all people that you would be the one to have enough sense to just leave it alone! I'm having an off day! Why doesn't anyone jump the fucking gun when Yami can't sing a note?" 

"Calm down!" Malik exclaimed, deciding against holding Bakura's hand. "We're just worried, that's all. You're never like this, and when you explode it's just…it's not something we'd expect, you know?" 

"No, I don't know!" Bakura said exasperated. "That's just it! Apparently I don't know anything! All I get is 'try it again, you're screwing up' or 'Bakura, what the hell is wrong with you?' … Fuck… I just can't take it anymore!" 

"What's on your mind?" Malik asked, putting his hands in his pockets. "It's got to be something that's important." 

"Why is everyone saying that?!" Bakura demanded, growling. Malik tried to move towards him to embrace him but Bakura shoved him off, causing Malik to hit the wall. Malik's violet eyes widened in shock and a little bit of anger. "I'm fine! Just leave me the fuck alone, Malik! Just … leave me alone." With that, Bakura started on his way down the hall and left Malik standing there in complete shock. 

Yami walked out from the studio after Joey asked him to see if Malik had gotten Bakura to come to his senses. "Malik? What's the matter?" Yami asked concerned. His amethyst eyes widened as he saw Malik's eyes become a little watery. "You're…you're crying." He put a hand on Malik's shoulder. "Malik?" 

Malik didn't answer him for a bit, but then said, "Yami…I don't know if that's Bakura anymore. He's changed and not for the better." 

"It's just stress," Yami supplied, keeping his hand on Malik's shoulder. "Bakura's a hot-head, you know that. He'll be back to normal soon. Now let's back inside." 

"I don't know about that, Yami…" Malik said a little softly, as he turned to walk back inside. "I just don't think that's the case…" 

****

-TBC-

Author's notes: Buwah! I feel very accomplished. How did you like the chapter? Please review and let me know. If there's anything you want me to see, just let me know. *Waves* Ja ne! 


	5. Breaking down the walls

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Chapter 5"Break down the walls." 

Author's notes: Wow, another update? No, I haven't gotten off school yet, I've just found time to myself and I'm being productive! Good-bye writer's block! *Sigh* In three weeks though I'm off on Christmas break…Please review. Just a note: This chapter takes place after both bands have returned to Tokyo, just when Bakura has walked out of the studio. The first part with Mai and Tristan goes as is, and when it switches to Bakura, just imagine it's earlier in that same day. Sorry for the confusion! 

***

Tristan Taylor glanced nervously at the blonde manager, as she had done nothing but pace back and forth thinking to herself for the past hour. The brunette male shifted slightly, wondering what had preoccupied Mai's attention for such a long period of time. He was beginning to wonder if she had forgotten his presence completely. Finally, he couldn't stand the silence anymore, so Tristan said, "Mai…you called me here to go over ML's agenda. You haven't said two words to me since I walked in. What's up?" 

Sadly enough, he didn't get an answer as Mai walked to the window of her office in the high-rise building. She just stared out at the Tokyo landscape with expressionless purple eyes. Tristan called her name a few more times, but to no avail. Mai's mind was somewhere else, and wherever it was, it wasn't coming back for a while. Tristan then got up and left, knowing there were more pressing matters to be taken care of. Mai didn't notice. 

Mai sighed and put a manicured hand on the previously clean window. Clenching them into a fist, she put her forehead against the cold glass. "I have to persevere. Millennium Dark can't push Millennium Light back; we're going to push them into the darkness. No one will remember them, no one will remember Seto Kaiba…they'll remember me." 

—Flashback—

__

Two figures stood before an old man in a dark brown suit. One had long blonde hair and a curvy figure, her purple eyes exuding confidence. The other was a tall and slender male, short brown hair with uniquely cut bangs, and cerulean eyes, his face expressionless. She was wearing a purple dress-suit, with the skirt coming just above her knees, and a white shirt underneath the sleek purple jacket. He wore black pants and a dark blue shirt, with a full-length navy blue coat that flared out at the back. 

"Mai Valentine…Seto Kaiba, I've called you here to commend you on your work thus far," the man said, sounding more like a kindly grandfather than a boss. "But only one of you can move up to the coveted rank. As you know, we have a group of young men with unlimited potential to reach unimaginable heights in this business. Only the most skilled manager can make them the stars they're destined to be." 

"How much longer are you going to keep the suspense?" Mai asked trying to keep cheerful. She was though in reality, scared out of her mind. She had worked for years to get up to the level that Seto had secured in weeks. He had told her, that it was just a friendly rivalry, but she didn't believe him. Mai knew Seto was first in everything, but she was determined to take this from him. 

The man smiled. "Not too much longer. He moved out from behind his desk and stood in front of them. Mai felt her heart pound as he walked towards her, but it all came crashing down when the man pushed past her and shook Seto's hand. "Congratulations, Seto Kaiba. You have given beyond exceptional results, and I know you will take these boys to new heights. Good luck." 

Seto gave a grim smile. "I don't need luck." He turned to Mai. "Don't take it so hard. I just got to it before you. You'll get there soon." 

Mai forced a smile. "Yeah. Thanks Seto." They shook hands before the man and Seto left the room. As soon as the door shut, Mai growled and clenched her hands into fists. "Outdone again by Seto Kaiba! I'll show him…I'll bring him off that friggin' high horse of his! One of these days…" The rejection only hurt more, as she and Seto had been somewhat involved, that rivalry sparking attraction between Mai and Seto. "I will beat you." 

—End Flashback—

Mai opened her eyes after a while. She was mildly shocked to see that it was already very late in the afternoon, with the skies currently shades of orange, purple and pink. After all these years, she still kept her promise. The opportunity to manage the hot commodity that is Millennium Dark may have been ripped from her grasp, but now she was the successful manager of Millennium Light, who, in her mind, was poised to knock Millennium Dark from the pedestal that they were currently sitting on. 

Tristan walked in and this time Mai turned around. "Didn't I call you in here hours ago?" Mai asked surprised. 

Millennium Light's spokesman raised an eyebrow. "Yes, and I was here hours ago. But you were being a zombie and refused to respond to my questions. I figured that you'd be all right now. You want to go over the agenda?" 

"Yes, let's get that done and over with." 

__

On the streets 

Bakura, much to his surprise, got on and off the bus, without anyone bothering him. They must have seen the murderous glare in his natural eye, or they saw the Millennium Eye and made the safe choice to stay the hell away. Bakura needed to get away from everyone—Shadi, Yami, and Keith…even Malik. He couldn't stand the questions, the interrogation, and the fact that no one did such questioning when anyone else made a mistake. It was either walk out or stay and destroy something. Bakura may have been pissed off beyond belief, but he had the presence of mind to realise consequences. 

So lost in his thoughts was the guitarist, that he didn't know he had plowed over an innocent person. He was jolted from these thoughts as he heard a yelp. Blinking, Bakura looked down and locked gazes with the biggest brown eyes he had ever seen. The boy was practically a mirror image of himself, but his hair was snow-white, less spiky and his eyes were wide and innocent. He was wearing a cream-coloured sweater, with a blue line coming down in a point from around the neckline to the sternum and had on blue jeans and blue sneakers. "That has got to be the ugliest sweater I've ever seen," Bakura muttered. Louder, he said, "I should apologise for running you over." He helped the boy up and was shocked by the jolt he felt when they touched. 

The boy shook his head, giving a smile. "Don't worry about it," he said, his voice slightly British-accented. He looked at Bakura closer and smiled. "Say, you're that Bakura fellow from Millennium Dark, aren't you?" 

Giving a groan, Bakura nodded. "Yes, that would be me. You a fan or something?"

He laughed. "No, I'm not quite that. My name is Ryou, I am part of Millennium Light." At that, Bakura immediately remembered the quiet boy from the news program they had all watched in the hotel room. Ryou stuck out his right hand (which was the left to Bakura) and Bakura looked at it blankly. "I want to shake hands!" Ryou laughed.

Face flaming from not realising that, Bakura forced it down and shook Ryou's hand. He was slightly alarmed at the pleasantries he was exchanging with someone that was supposed to be his rival. Again he felt the jolt and refused to let the shiver creep up his spine. "Nice to meet you," he said a bit hurriedly. "But I've got to get back." 

Ryou nodded understandingly. "I must get back as well, I just got myself lost. I haven't been this deep downtown before." 

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "Looking for the subway?" 

"Yes! Do you have any idea where it is?" Ryou asked urgently, looking very cute in distress as Bakura admitted mentally. 

Blinking though, Bakura turned Ryou around and pointed down the street. "It's straight down that way. It's a little tricky to see, but look for all the people going down." Ryou said his thanks and hugged Bakura. Taken greatly aback, Bakura numbly put his hands around Ryou, and patted him on the back. "You're welcome." 

"Thanks again, Bakura!" Ryou said cheerfully, walking down the sidewalk, soon disappearing into the moving crowd. Bakura couldn't help but stare after the snow-haired boy. He finally broke the stare and looked down at his hand, which was trembling. 

He spoke seven words before walking to a bus stop. "What the hell is wrong with me?" Shaking his head, Bakura sighed and walked off to a stop. Promptly the bus came and he got on, sitting at the very back. But no matter how hard he tried; he could not get Ryou's face or voice out of his head. Cursing under his breath, he hoped it was just a passing thing. But deep inside, he knew this wouldn't be the end of it… 

When Bakura reached to the studio, he didn't find anyone there but Yami. The lead singer was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the side of the studio building. "Finally you came back," Yami said, pushing himself off. "I thought you'd never come and that waiting for you was a bad idea." 

"So you decided not to jump the bandwagon and be pissed at me?" Bakura asked, still feeling a little disoriented from his meeting with Ryou. Yami noticed the change in behaviour almost immediately, but said nothing at first. 

"Actually, I wanted to make sure you got back alive before Malik had a mental breakdown," Yami said, snapping his fingers in front of Bakura's face. "Hello? Earth to Bakura Akuma!" [1] Bakura blinked and stared at him. "Let's get out of here." Yami gestured to a rental car that Seto had left for him and Bakura numbly walked over to it and got in the passenger side. "What is up with you?" 

Bakura, for once, didn't snap at the question. "I don't know," he replied in a small voice. "I'm beginning to doubt everything about me…I met someone. You know how I am with meeting people…but I … I wasn't mean or snappish or anything…I was civil." 

Yami blinked. Bakura being civil to people he was meeting for the first time was virtually unheard of. "Wow, must have been some kind of girl." 

"It wasn't a girl," Bakura said and Yami blinked again. "It was a guy…damn it, Yami! This is my point! I don't know what the hell is going on with me!" 

Yami, before starting the car, put a hand on the guitarist's shoulder. "Bakura, the best thing to do right now is not to think about it. Focus on your work, and let this part of your life sort itself out. It's easier said than done, but believe me, it's what works." 

"Pharaoh, for once I hope you're right," Bakura said with a sigh. Yami had to smirk at the nickname Bakura had given him. _Because your advice is the only thing I have to go on right now…the only damned thing…_

****

-TBC-

Author's notes: *winks* Hope you liked the two quick chapters! What's going on with Bakura and Malik? Will this thing with Ryou continue to affect Bakura? Just what the heck _did_ happen between Seto and Mai? Will I shut up already? Um, I don't know when I'll update next, but keep on your toes *lol*. 

[1] Akuma means Devil in Japanese


	6. Thinking of You

****

Chapter 6"Thinking of you." 

Author's notes: Aha, look! It's actually an update! Rejoice and cease the yelling! I haven't had a chance all break to work on anything. *Looks around* blame the family. Nothing much to say other than AHH! SCHOOL! *Runs in fear* 

***

Ryou returned to the house that he shared with the rest of his band mates. A huge smile graced his lips and would not leave. The guitarist knew full well the cause of the smile—Bakura Akuma. True, the aforementioned musician was notorious for not being the most sociable person on the planet, but he had seemed very nice, and he _did_ help Ryou up. If he were as bad as his reputation perceived him to be, he would not have bothered with Ryou. That's got to count for something, right?

As he entered the house, his big dark eyes sparkled as he happened upon Shaadi and Maric sitting very close to one another on the couch. Maric's hand was mere centimetres from Shaadi's slender ones, and the cute awkwardness just hung in the air. Ryou wasn't sure if the two saw him, so the snow-haired boy quickly moved around but his elbow on the dinner table. Which had very sharp edges, thank you very much with an X. 

"Ow! Bloody hell!" Ryou exclaimed, clutching his left elbow with his right hand. Maric and Shaadi jumped, and Maric took the chance to jump up and go to see what had happened. When he reached Ryou, said boy was biting his lip and wincing as the pain shot through his arm. 

"Ryou, are you alright?" Maric questioned.

Ryou jumped, and turned around, now hitting his right elbow on the table. Determined not to swear, Ryou thought it was the best time for another "bloody hell!" He whimpered, now nursing two scraped elbows. "I'm fine," he managed, "I'm really sorry for interrupting your time with Shaadi—" Ryou clamped a hand on his mouth, realising he wasn't supposed to reveal that he had seen anything. "I mean, creating such a ruckus that you two were d—" Again, his hand was clamped over his mouth. He groaned. "Alright, I confess. I saw you and Shaadi sitting on the couch quite close. Sorry!" 

Maric didn't respond for a bit, then after seeing such a distressed expression on Ryou's face, he burst out laughing. "Oh Ryou! You don't need to apologise for anything! I heard footsteps and the door close." There was a pause for another little fit of laughter. "Now, what were you grinning like a monkey for when you walked in?"

Ryou blinked. It took a moment to grasp what Maric had said. "You saw me?" The guitarist slapped his forehead realising he should have just kept on walking. When you try and sneak around, you fudge up. At times, Ryou wished he were James Bond. There's a British dude with some stealth. He beamed though, remembering how Bakura's deep voice had sent shivers down his spine. "I met someone today." 

"Oh? Is she pretty?" Maric inquired. 

Ryou blushed. "It's a he." Maric's widened purple eyes almost made Ryou not want to continue. "I bumped into him on the sidewalk when I was walking downtown. He helped me up and showed me the way to the subway." 

Maric chuckled. "Sounds like a great guy. Does he have a name? Or is he just the nameless romancer?" 

_Oh dear. Bakura's part of MD…how will Maric react? _Ryou thought worriedly. _But I can trust him with anything…_ "Will you promise not to tell a soul?" 

Maric blinked. "OF course. You know you can tell me anything." 

"His name is Bakura Akuma," Ryou blurted.

Pause. "WHAT?!" Ryou wanted to duck under the table that had attacked him. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Bakura?" Maric demanded. "He's not a nice guy at all!" 

"Maric, please listen to me," Ryou pleaded. Maric didn't look too convinced, but he stopped long enough to listen to Ryou's plead. "He was nice to _me._ If he were as mean as you think he was, would he have helped me up? Think about it."

"You think about it!" Maric demanded, poking Ryou in the chest. His purple eyes were laced with anger and concern. "I don't want you to get your hopes up. I can't explain why Bakura chose to help you up, but I can assure you that it is a once-in-a-lifetime thing." He continued with that thought. "Bakura Akuma is a devil, to be honest with you, just like his last name suggests. He's not a nice person, by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not trying to dampen your spirits, but listen to me." He gave a sigh. "I have met this Bakura Akuma. He's not a nice guy. It is a rare thing that he helped you up rather than walk right over you."

Ryou looked confused. The Bakura that he met was nothing like the one that Maric was describing now. The Bakura that he had met was nice, kind, and he was clumsy, not to mention very handsome. There was that dangerous aura to him, it was undeniable. To be honest to himself, Ryou could not deny that he was attracted to that dangerous feeling. "Well he did help me up and shouldn't that count for something?" 

Maric crossed his arms over his chest. "I would not hold my breath, Ryou." He gave a small smile. "There is something about you that brings out the best qualities in everyone. But anyway, have you seen Yugi?" 

Ryou shook his head. "No, I haven't. Is he upstairs?" Maric nodded and Ryou smiles gratefully at his friend, going up the stairs. "Yugi?" At first the younger boy didn't hear and Ryou smiled, knocking on the door. "Hello?" 

Yugi jumped and looked at the door. "Oh, it's you Ryou. You scared me." He gave a cute look and smiled. "Come in. I wanted to talk to you." 

***

Yami sighed and looked over at Bakura. The boy had been silent and mainly been mentally debating with himself. It unsettled the vocalist to be quite honest, to see Bakura so quiet and so … not himself. "What was the name of this boy you ran into?" 

Bakura blurted the name as if it was second nature, "Tenshi [1] Ryou." Yami's eyes widened and continued staring at Bakura like the white haired male had three heads. "No, I didn't say the wrong name. Ryou was the one I ran into." 

"HE'S the one that's got you like this? I must say, he must be something then," Yami said under his breath. They were sitting in a room in the hotel, Yami offering to be the one to room with Bakura, since Malik was to distressed and Shadi had his hands full trying to get anything out of the spiked blonde. 

"Do you think I like it that someone that weak can do this to me? Have you SEEN that sweater of his? He looks like he's ready to play cricket, not be in a band!" Bakura vented, trying hard to convince himself more so than Yami. He then groaned, putting his hand over the Millennium Eye. "What am I going to do, Yami? That stupid Englishman has turned everything upside down and Malik won't talk to me." 

"Well there you go assuming things." 

"I'm not assuming anything!"

Yami looked incredulously at his bandmate. "You've gone further off the deep end than I thought you were previously. You're assuming that Malik's unreasonable. He is at times I admit, but listen to me: you've got a chance to make up for that outburst. Now, are you going to let some random occurrence on the street break what you and Malik have?"

Bakura looked at the vocalist and knew that he was right. "No…I won't let that do anything. But I can't do anything now. It's too late and Shadi must be in there talking him to even considering seeing me now…and you better not tell anyone that I'm actually listening to you, Pharaoh." 

Yami smirked. "I wouldn't even dream of it." 

"Yes you would." 

"That's besides the point." 

"…That IS the point!" 

*** 

When Bakura had fallen asleep, Yami lay on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. Helping Bakura with his problems with Ryou helped take his mind off of his situation with Yugi. He felt guilty for not calling Yugi when he promised to, but the schedule had suddenly picked up and he couldn't find the time to phone. He always had found the time before. Was he just over thinking this? Ah, he probably was. 

Glancing over at Bakura's sleeping form, Yami felt something in his chest. He needed to tell someone of his relationship with Yugi. It was this growing desire that he couldn't ignore anymore. But who could he trust with such a thing? Bakura? That's a good one. Malik? He's got his own problems with Bakura. Shadi? That was a possibility, then again, Shadi was trying to handle everyone's problems and Yami certainly didn't want to trouble the elder boy anymore than he probably already was. Maybe he could talk to Seto? That was another no. Seto was so busy that Yami barely saw him. That left Joey, one of the more unlikely people to talk to, but Malik had said the other blonde was a good listener.

Actually thinking that it was a good idea, Yami got up from his bed and knowing that Joey was in the other room probably working on bookings, went to the adjacent room. Opening the side door that provided access to either room Yami opened it and saw Joey talking on his trusty cell phone. Apparently the party on the other end of the phone didn't like Joey's offer and abruptly hung up. "Bastards!" Joey muttered. He turned, seeing the door open. "Yami? You're not sleeping yet?" 

Yami gave a thin smile. "No, Joey, I couldn't sleep. But that's why I came to talk to you. Malik told me that you're a good listener…" 

Joey turned a little red and scratched the back of his head. "Aha, you could say dat. What's up Yami? Sit down over here and we'll chat." Yami nodded, closing the door that he had opened and walked over to the chair across from Joey. "You don't have to worry about Seto walking in, that dude's talking to the brass and won't be back for … well hours. But enough about that. What's bugging you, man?" 

There was a pause as Yami was trying to figure out the best way to hypothetically put this. Joey was patient and waited for Yami to start talking. "Joey, there's no easy way for me to say this, and I need to tell someone. But it's something big and if everybody else knew, it would be a huge catastrophe. Promise not to tell a single soul?" 

Millennium Dark's agent blinked a few times, but with one glance to Yami's serious amethyst eyes, Joey nodded. "I promise man. I won't say a word unless you want me to. You're not, quitting the band, are you?"

Yami gave a little chuckle. "No, no, Joey, it's nothing like that…you see, I'm seeing someone." 

"Hey! That's great," Joey enthused. "At least we know there are some people on the planet that can actually melt the heart of the great Yami." 

Laughing, Yami shook his head. "You're a real card, Joey." His face turned serious. "But the person I am seeing…" There was another pause. "The person I am seeing, they could be seen as the problem, you know what I mean?" 

"I kind of do, Yami. But you're going to have to tell me who this person is sooner or later you know," Joey joked lightly. "I'm not going to understand a lot if you continue to just say 'you know what I mean'." 

Yami nodded and gave a little sigh. "Okay, I'm going to come right out and say it. I'm seeing Yugi Motou." 

There was a long silence. Yami bit his lip as he looked at the face of the New Yorker. Joey's expression didn't change and finally he spoke. "Well that is one helluva bomb shell you just dropped Yami. No one else knows about this?" Yami shook his head. 

Suddenly there was a flash of panic in Yami's eyes. "You can't tell a soul about this, Joey. You can't tell anyone what I've just told you." 

"Whoa, whoa, calm down man! I didn't say I was gonna go and rat on ya!" Joey put a hand on Yami's shoulder. "Are you sure you know what you're doin' with this? I mean, do you know if you're going the right way about this?" 

"I've kept it secret for about five months now," Yami said and Joey's eyes widened at the time frame, but kept silent. "But lately I've been slipping up and I think Malik's catching onto my recent little slips. Joey, but I dearly want to go and see Yugi…and I can't. It's just tearing me apart inside and I don't know what to do." 

Joey squeezed Yami's shoulder. "It sounds rough man, but I can't really help you there. I can keep this a secret and help you cover it more, but other then that, there's not much else I can do in terms of wanting to see him again." 

Yami sighed in relief. "That is more than enough Joey." He smiled. "Thank you. You've been a really big help. I didn't expect it to go this way but I am not complaining." 

With a wink, Joey stood up, as did Yami. "Well we certainly got our work cut out for us, but hey, what else is new? Now go and get some sleep." As Yami left, Joey put a hand to his head. _Man, we have officially got to label ourselves a soap opera._

****

-TBC-

[1] Tenshi is Japanese for Angel. Fits Ryou, doesn't it? ^_^

****

Author's notes: Sorry for the delay, but I hope this will satisfy everyone's hunger! I have been re-inspired, so I will be working on this story. But expect some more delays since Exams are coming up. Please review!


	7. We're digging up the past

****

Chapter 7"We're digging up the Past." 

Author's notes: YAH! NO MORE BLOODY SCHOOL FOR A WEEK! *Breathes* Ah, I had to get that out. But I finished my second part of my English final, so there's no school for me for a week until the 29th, since my Bio exam is on the 29th. ^_____^ Enjoy. 

****

Important note: Jeez, I'm so stupid. I messed up on the translation of Yami's last name. It's supposed to be Yami Akaiame. THAT means "red rain" the other one … means red _something_. 

***

Finally. Some time alone. How long had he needed this? Eh, far too long, by his account. Not that he didn't mind helping out his band-mates, but there were times when he felt a bit … stretched. Like butter spread over too much bread. Everyone else was sleeping, and he had gotten up early, to enjoy the hot tub by himself. Stripping down to his swim trunks, he had gotten into the hot tub, and immediately melted into it. 

There was one problem for finally getting some time alone—he didn't know what to think about. Shadi Karasu [1] was actually stuck on where to let his mind wander. There was nothing in his life other than the promotional tour and this time alone was to get away from the band, and from the troubles of his band-mates. Everyone was allowed to be a wee bit selfish once in a while, don't you think? 

He fingered a strand of his jet-black hair that was actually dyed a dark blue that could only be seen in bright sunlight. Glancing over to the corner where his clothes were neatly folded, and on top of the neat pile was his Millennium Ankh. Idly, he thought back to when he received the Ankh. It had come in the mail, out of nowhere, with the address to him, everything was correct, yet there was no return address. Thinking nothing of it, Shadi had opened the box to discover a long, golden artefact, the Ankh, which the end was shaped like a key's ridges. What it opened he had no idea. Thinking of it more, he had thought there was no lock that a key such as this could open. What was the point of it then? 

No more had he thought of its purpose, than when he first met Yami. It was their idea to form Millennium Dark, as they both found out that they both had musical talent. At the time, they really could not do much with just a drummer and a vocalist. That is when they came across Bakura and Malik. Bakura had been found first and not really in a surprising way: they had found the white-haired pessimist in a fight. One that he was winning, if no one had figured that out. Apparently, from what Yami and Shadi found out later, some street 'punks' [is what Bakura called them] wanted to steal his prize guitar, one that was signed by one of the most famous guitarists of their time—Ryuiji Otogi. He was only a year or so older than Bakura, but that only made the worship stronger.

Shadi recalled when Yami finally broke Bakura away from chasing down the punks; Bakura nearly decked the vocalist thinking it was another ambush. Finally, Yami explained that they weren't interested in his guitar themselves, they wanted him *and* the guitar. Bakura was surprised, but he agreed with a characteristic, 'what the hell?' and a shrug of the shoulders. That was almost all the band. But they were missing one person. One more person to make the band complete. And that person was Malik Ishtar. And getting him to join the band had been harder than getting Bakura.

Malik wasn't interested in joining a band. Well he was, it was just that he wanted to join one that had a chance of going somewhere. At first, Shadi spotted him playing his bass on a street corner, not begging for money, but simply, just playing. Shadi offered that he joined the band, and Malik promptly said no. Defeated, Shadi told Yami and Bakura about Malik and about his amazing talent. Bakura was impatient and walked over to Malik, and TOLD him that he was joining the band, and in his words, 'not going to be a dumbass for passing up something that's going to change your street-corner standing life.' It wasn't so much what Bakura was saying that got Malik to join, it was Bakura *himself*. The radical blond was taken in by Bakura's attitude, and no doubt his looks…Millennium Dark was born.

The name hadn't come till later, Shadi remembered, since they had not thought of one until they actually had a band. They sat around in Yami's apartment, and threw names out that sounded good, or at least sounded good mentally. Finally, Malik glanced around, at everyone holding an item that looked to have the same motif. Shadi and his Ankh, Yami and his half of a puzzle, Bakura and his golden eye, and Malik himself with the rod. Judging from their personalities, he reasoned that they were going to be called Millennium DARK. Even Shadi and Yami, for all their maturity had a part of themselves that was not wholly good and responsible, and Malik noticed and noted that. Each of the items had a name—the Millennium Puzzle, the Millennium Eye, the Millennium Ankh, and the Millennium Rod. There was that running motif Malik pointed out. 

Even Bakura had to admit that it was a stroke of genius. Malik had blushed like a tomato as Shadi avidly recalled when Bakura complimented him. So it was decided, they were Millennium Dark…now all they had to do was get a record deal, get noticed. As he slid further down in the hot tub, Shadi chuckled, remembering the hell they went through in that part of their rise to fame…

***

Seto Kaiba, the eldest child of the Kaiba family, and regarded as the best in the business sighed and flopped down into his chair in his high-rise office. It was all so…empty. Glancing out the window, he looked out at the many apartment buildings that also densely populated this part of Tokyo. Those people probably didn't have nearly as much to do as him, probably not even close. But they had something he didn't. They had something that kept them going, something that wasn't material or a status being coveted. Simply put, Seto Kaiba had no *one* to share this success with. 

Well…he did once. And in true Seto fashion, he screwed it up beyond repair. Twirling a pencil in his fingers, Seto remembered the days before he became so successful, and the few days early into his management career. He remembered that he had a past with Mai, but all the years and workloads placed on his shoulders, he had forgotten almost everything that was further back than a year ago. Seto knew why Mai was so set on her revenge path, at least *now* he remembered why. They had something of a fling, the only other time he got caught up in the moment, was with…

He stopped. _Don't think that far back. You told yourself not to think that far back. The only thing that came out of thinking about her was … well what you're like right now. Depressed and thinking about what could have been. That's not what got you this far, thinking about the 'what ifs'…_ Seto sighed. He wasn't the best person for a relationship. Mai thought that they had something, but he didn't. It was just the heat of the moment that he actually went to bed with her. True, he did feel something, but it wasn't deep, it was just attraction. She was more of a rival than a lover in his eyes. When he was named the manager of Millennium Dark… that's when he cut it off with her. Their personalities, they just didn't mesh like they were supposed to.

There was another reason, his conscience told him. Another reason that Seto ended his sort-of relationship with Mai so abruptly and coldly. Groaning, he nodded to himself in defeat. The reason he ended it with Mai was because he hadn't gotten over her…light mocha skin, hazel eyes, layered blue hair [Seto chuckled here, he remembered the incident in which her hair turned from black to blue in a dye accident]. And blonde face framing bangs, which started at the middle of her forehead and came down to her chin. You wouldn't believe that they had been together, she dressed like a skater-punk and he dressed like a prep. 

It was her attitude that drew him to her. She could be nice when she wanted to be, but also, she could be your worst enemy, and cut you down with words in moments. Their first meeting wasn't fairytale like, not in the least bit. They collided in the hallways of their high school, and she plowed him over, not the other way around. Seto had jumped up, and demanded that she apologise to him, and she didn't. Instead she had poked him in the chest and told him to get the hell off his high horse, then simply walked away. 

To someone that had thrived on people doing what he told them to, meeting someone like her had turned his world upside down. And he let it turn his world upside down, it would have been just a meaningless occurrence, but Seto didn't want her to have the last jab. After a few days of getting himself together, he sought her out and they talked, one on one. She didn't seem impressed with his last name, nor did she feel intimidated like everyone else had with the knowledge that he was part of the prestigious Kaiba family. He tried to get something out of her, something that could explain why he felt the need to go and try and talk to her. She answered his questions evasively, and then told him she had other places to be than to be talking to a spoiled brat. 

It was her accosting of him being a spoiled brat that turned him around, almost instantaneously. In the last two years of high school, he had become a respected person in the school, and almost everyone was in love with him, completely forgetting who he was in his freshman year. Seto didn't want their admiration, he only wanted hers. It had become almost like an obsession, that he wanted her approval for this new transformation. A few people knew that he was doing this for her, but everyone else didn't care. They liked him, as he was now, who cares as to why he changed? 

Seto remembered that it was almost near the end of his senior year, when he finally got a decent answer out of her. He asked her if she liked what he had become. She replied 'At least now you don't piss me off as much.' This was, he figured, as close as he was going to get. He decided to play a hunch, and ask what he, admittedly wanted to do for a long time. He asked her to the prom. She stood there, shocked as hell. 'Why me?' she asked, trying to make it sound like a demand, but Seto had caught a slight hesitation. 

He gave her a smile. 'Out of everyone here, you're real. Everyone is so fabricated, so materialistic, you're not…' She said yes, although she didn't know why. Seto could not have been happier, and truth was, he never was again since that moment. At the prom, he was really surprised to see her in a gown, but told her that it suited her. In a moment of vulnerability, she looked up at him uncertainly.

'Really?' she asked quietly. Dresses were not her thing, as she had told Seto out on the balcony of the hotel where the Prom was being held. He told her that she looked absolutely beautiful, and actually saw her blush. In all honesty, when he kissed her, it was about as fairytale as their relationship would get. A smile appeared on Seto's face as he remembered the months before they set out for University. He began to crack her protective shell that she had set up around her past, and in turn, she did the same to him. Their personalities fit perfectly together, and they kept the other on their toes. 

She fully supported his decision to go into the music management business, and was brutally honest when he needed her to be. But, as the nights at work became longer, his temper shorter, it just went in a downward spiral from there. She wasn't one to wait around for someone to make time for her, and while she understood the stressfulness of his career, what he said to her at times was not justified. One day, everything just exploded, and she was gone from his life, just like that. She told him, she didn't want to hold him back anymore, and that she knew how important his job was to him. With a final soft kiss, she took off her Lionheart pendant [2], one that she had had for as long as he knew her, and put it around his neck. 'Good luck to you, Seto.' And left. 

Opening his eyes, Seto's hand travelled to the opened collar of his shirt, which was always unbuttoned a button or two, where the necklace still was around his neck. _Now I remembered why I never sat around long enough to think. I keep thinking about the past, and how I could have changed things. Well you can't, Seto. You can't change what happened and how you ultimately screwed up the best thing to happen to you. What can you do now? All you can do is focus on your work, and not yourself. When you do, you end up like this. Pathetic. You're better at managing a band than you are at your own life. _He reached for his wallet, and opened it, taking out an old, yet still in good condition photo. It was her…he never threw it out, even when he told her that he had. 

He stared at the photo, tracing the lines of her face with a finger before suddenly shoving it back into his wallet, and the wallet went back into his pocket. "This is why the past should remain buried," Seto said softly, almost bitterly to himself. Pushing himself out of his seat, he realised that he had been sitting for a good two hours, thinking of the past. Grabbing a cup of coffee, Seto walked to the window, and looked across to the apartment building that was close by. So close, he could see through the window of the apartment just across from his window. The blinds were always closed, but this day, they were open. Idly curious, Seto glanced over, and nearly dropped his coffee. 

It was her…she was living in the apartment across from his window. 

****

-TBC-

[1] Karasu means, "Raven" in Japanese 

[2] Think Squall Leonhart's necklace in FF8. *Hides from Squaresoft goons*

****

Author's notes: So just who is Seto's mystery woman? Tune in and find out! If you want to see a picture of the girl I described, go here: http://www.geocities.com/darksaiyajin_26/setos_girl_past.jpg and see for yourself. The picture was drawn by my best friend, Skye. Adios! 


	8. I found you

****

Chapter 8"I found you." 

Author's notes: Ah, the last chapter wasn't my best work. I know it seemed slow, but I needed a bit of a break in the story, just for back-story, and it's going to pick up. 

A note about that girl from Seto's past—aha, no Mary-Sue here and no Avril Lavigne look alike either. If anything, I won't be going too much into Seto's side of this saga, but I needed something to be effecting everyone. Sorry if it seemed lame, but like I said, I'm not too proud of my writing on that one. *Sighs* Enjoy this chapter though. 

***

Yugi and Ryou were in the middle of an intense chess game, when Yugi suddenly blurted out, "Ryou, I'm seeing someone!" The game just stopped right there. Ryou's Bishop was just about to checkmate Yugi's Queen, but the black piece just dropped to the board with a loud clatter. The white-haired boy stared at his friend with wide eyes. 

It took him a moment to recover from the sudden blast of information. "Y-You're seeing someone? Well that's great Yugi!" Ryou smiled and tried not to sound too shocked. Now that would just be low and callus—and Bakura like, wouldn't it? That was a bit cheeky, Ryou had to admit, but it was a mental jab at the other boy, and he wasn't here to hear it, was he? So Ryou was safe. 

The shorter boy smiled a little, still a bit pale for having said that so quickly. "Uh y-yeah, you could say that…but just who it is…I'm not sure if you're gonna like it." 

Ryou gave him a reassuring smile. "Yugi, you know you can tell me anything. I'm not a blabbermouth. I'll keep it a secret if you want me to. And there's no point in just dropping the conversation after we just started it." 

"Oh sure I can," Yugi pouted. Then he got an idea. He had seen a glow about Ryou's face, and that meant he had a fancy for someone. "But if I tell you who it is, you'll have to tell me who it is that's got you all glowing." Ryou looked absolutely petrified. "Oh don't think I didn't notice Ryou Tenshii. Is it a deal or not?" 

"Oh fine," Ryou relented. "You first." 

"Yami Akaiame." 

"Bakura Akuma." 

There was a lengthy pause, then… "WHO!?!?!??!?" 

***

Malik was on his seventh cup of coffee, and by this time he had begun to tune out Shadi's words of advice and/or comfort. He was in his own world by now, thinking about what else? Bakura's strange behaviour. Finally, he spoke. "Shadi, I'm alright now. Whatever happens, will happen. Do you mind if I'm alone for a second?" 

"Sure," Shadi said, looking at his friend, still with some concern. He got up and started to walk down the street, leaving Malik to his devices. Malik sighed into his coffee as he drank it, the boosted feeling coffee usually accomplished now long gone since his fifth cup. His hair wasn't spiked outrageously like it usually was, but left down and it went past his shoulders. Yami always used to joke that he should just keep his hair down—he looked descent. 

Pushing his shades down from the top of his head to cover his eyes, Malik sighed. They would be heading out soon for some more promotional stuff. Their album was nearly finished, just three more tracks to write, compile and polish off. If there was anywhere Malik wanted to be, it wasn't here. Sometimes he felt that he should just go off and never come back. Now that feeling was particularly strong. But they all took an oath—no matter what was going on in their personal lives, they would put it behind them for the band. 

Now it seemed that this wasn't the case. Everyone had something that was bothering them. Except for Shadi. Now that Malik thought about it, the 'older brother' of the band never had any problems. _Well that's bullshit, _Malik thought. _Everyone has problems. I guess Shadi's just … the smarter one. He keeps it to himself and deals with it better than the rest of us. We should all follow his example. _Looking up Malik blinked as he saw the exact carbon copy of himself, but with shorter hair and a … as much as he hated to admit it, less psychotic looking version of himself. 

The boy was wearing a white sleeveless shirt that had a hood attached to it, zipped up and had two gold chains acting as clasps on the chest. On each of his arms, there was a golden band, and around his neck a semi-thick band, with a stylised Egyptian Eye in the centre. It seemed to be a choker of some sort. It had the same motif as the Millennium Items Millennium Dark had. He had slender golden earrings shaped a little triangular and wore black pants. And he was walking in Malik's direction. 

As Malik shamelessly studied his apparent twin's features, he realised that this boy must be from Millennium Light. He remembered the picture from the TV when they were all watching a while ago. Turning back to his coffee, Malik didn't realise that the boy was heading to his table. There were no other tables left in the crowded café, and he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. "Excuse me," he said, and Malik detected an Egyptian accent, "you don't mind if I sit here, do you? There's no room." 

Lifting his head up to look the other boy in the eye, he shook his head. "I don't mind at all. It's a free country and all that." He felt the need to introduce himself since the other blonde was looking at him expectantly. "My name's Malik Ishtar." 

The other boy's eyes widened. "Malik?" Malik nodded and wondered if the boy had recognised him from Millennium Dark. "Do you … know a woman named Isis?" 

Malik paused. The name 'did' sound familiar. "I think I do … why? Who are you?" 

"Maric Ishtal," he replied and Malik's eyes widened. 

"Maric? That … it sounds very close to my name," Malik said, not sure of what to make of the situation. "And your name does sound familiar…I met Isis a while ago when we were on a tour of Egypt. She's a very nice woman, runs a museum, doesn't she?" 

The boy who had such a close namesake to Malik's sat down across from him and nodded. "Yeah, in Domino…she's my sister." Malik raised an eyebrow and nodded, seeing a slight resemblance between the two. Maric looked down at his hands and began to twiddle his thumbs. Looking up at him, Maric continued, "she told me of a boy named Malik Ishtar, and … I wonder why you two shared the same last name, but she was my blood sister." 

Malik held a hand up. "Hold on, just what are you getting at?" 

"Give me a moment, it's kind of complicated what I'm trying to tell you," Maric said, clearing his throat. He took the glass of water he had ordered from the waiter and took a sip. "I've known this man, Rishid for as long as I could remember. He's about nine years older than I am, and he's been telling me about my family, since … well my mother died when I was born, and Isis had gone to Japan, and I was alone with him, and my father in Cairo. Rishid wasn't the only one with me when I was growing up; there was another boy. He looked just like me, only he was … five minutes older I think. 

"My father wasn't a nice man. He could be, but it was very rare. We've always had a strong connection to Ancient Egypt." Maric paused, touching the Egyptian Eye on his choker. "Isis opened up the museum to display our findings, we were in the family business of archaeology. Anyway … my father didn't seem to like the fact that I was spending so much time with my brother, and I was only two years old, barely old enough to remember what I did five minutes ago; and decided to send him to my distant cousin's house to live. We didn't have such good relations with this woman, we were fairly distant from her, so I suppose that's why my father gave my brother over to her."

"Hold on, what was this woman's name? That your father sent your brother too?" Malik questioned, now becoming deeply engrossed in the story. More questions had started to pop up in his mind, questions that he had kept buried since he was absolutely sure that he would never get a straight answer from anyone that he had considered his family. But now, this information that Maric was telling him…it sounded like he knew what the boy was talking about, but he had never met this Maric kid in his life. "Why did he send this brother away?"

Maric paused and took another sip of his water. Retelling these memories that he had kept so quiet was taking its toll on him. Only Rishid knew this information and Isis of course. "The woman's name was Amyle, I don't know much about her, only that she lived in deep in Tokyo. I never really understood why my father sent my brother away. I was so hurt, and confused. Didn't he want me to be happy? Rishid told me later that the reason that my father sent my brother to Amyle…is because my brother reminded him too much of mother." 

Malik took a moment to calm himself down. His mind was racing at over 100 mph and it was showing no signs of slowing down. "So wait, let me get this straight, and I apologise if I get anything of this wrong. You had a twin brother who was five minutes older than you are. You lived with him, this guy Rishid and your father. Isis left for Japan to open a museum. Your father thought this boy looked too much like your mother so he sent him to your cousin's house and thought no more of it?" He stopped, and momentarily forgot the name Maric said was the name of the woman his father had dropped the brother off to. "What…what was the name of this distant cousin of yours again?" 

The younger of the two boys looked hesitant to answer. He had a strong hunch regarding the elder boy he was sitting across from but he wasn't entirely sure. There was something familiar about him, other than his blonde hair and purple eyes. Of course, there was no real way he could tell if the eyes were just enhanced by contact lenses. There were many Japanese youth that had outrageous-coloured eyes. "The woman's name was Amyle," Maric replied, and saw Malik's eyes widened. 

A longer pause was left as Malik looked down at his hands, which was gripping the coffee mug tightly. So tightly Maric feared the boy would soon shatter the ceramic mug. "That's … that's the name of my mother," Malik said quietly. "Well…the woman I thought was my mother. When I turned 16 she told me that I wasn't really her son. Up until then I regarded her as my birth mother; I had known only her for as long as I could remember. She made no mention of my true family up until then. But maybe she felt guilt or something, and she told me that I was just her cousin…I was so hurt I didn't hear her. I grabbed my bass guitar and just ran out of there. 

"I never went back for more than a day at a time after that. I stood on the streets and played my bass for money," Malik explained, divulging this information more easily than he would have with anyone else, even Bakura. "It wasn't fair to Amyle, she worked hard to put up with my shit, but I couldn't stay there. I tried hard to search for anyone who had my last name, but I found nothing. I met Isis when our tour reached Egypt. She was … I felt like I trust her with anything, and she seemed genuinely concerned with me. Isis noticed I had this," Malik held up the Millennium Rod, "and said she had something like it, the Tauk, but gave it to her brother who was currently in…America I think." 

Now it was Maric's turn to be dead silent. This was proving his hunch to be dead on, and now that it was being proven, he couldn't say anything else. His voice was seemingly permanently stuck in his throat. "I was in America, working on our first album with the band," he said finally. Maric looked up at Malik, whose deep purple eyes held his strongly. "This is more than a mere coincidence, Malik. But there's one more thing I must ask you." 

Malik nodded. "Sure, what is it?" 

Maric unclasped the chains on his sleeveless hoodie, sliding it off. Many guys around the café and Tokyo were shirtless, in the blistering heat. Malik wondered idly what was going on, as Maric turned around, there was no more wondering. Maric's back was covered in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and from Malik could translate, it had something to do with the Ishtar family, and a connection to a brother. "Do you have this as well on your back?" Maric asked, turning back around and putting back on his sleeveless hoodie. 

Slowly, Malik stood up and did the same, taking off his shirt and showed Maric the exact same designs on his own back. They had been on his back for as long as he could remember; Amyle could offer no explanation for it either. Maric's mouth opened slightly in shock, and he eased out of his chair and walked over, lightly touching the lines of the hieroglyphs as if, if he pressed any harder, it would hurt Malik. It was exactly the same, but with a slight variant, it spoke of his younger brother, and not older as Maric's had stated. Slowly, Malik turned around and put his shirt back on. "…Brother."

There was a long pause of quiet, as the two boys looked at each other in silent awe. Finally, Maric moved over to his older twin brother, and put his arms firmly around him. "I've finally found you," he whispered into Malik's shoulder. Malik's arms came strongly around him, keeping the hug quite tight. As if letting go would verify this was a dream, and he hadn't really just found the only link to his real family, the one thing he had been searching for all his life. "Father can't keep us apart anymore." 

Malik shook his head. "No, there's no one that can keep us apart anymore…_brother_." Saying it only cemented the discovery. "I don't have to search anymore." Looking down at the slightly shorter boy, Malik smiled for the first time in a long time. "We have a lot to catch up on, don't we?" Maric laughed. "Let's get started then!" 

****

-TBC-

Author's notes: I like this chapter a lot more. All fluffy. Please review!


	9. Blitz

**Chapter 9: "Blitz." **

**Author notes: **Well, this has been a long time coming, hasn't it? I finally got my hard drive fixed, and I decided this Sunday to work on something. Enjoy! 

*          *          *

_Early Morning, __London_

            The boys in Millennium Dark were on a media blitz, going everywhere and anywhere to promote their new single, 'The Boys of Summer' a cover on a song by a guy by the name of Henley. It was a wistful, upbeat song. Seto's instincts were right on the mark about covering the song. Yami's voice added a new, fresh dimension to the song's 80's feel. The song instantly skyrocketed up the charts, and the video was just shot a few days ago. 

Right now, they were in London in the studio of one of the most successful and respected photographers in the business, Lizeth. Her work was revolutionary and evolutionary at the same time. Seto Kaiba did not go half-ass when it came to promoting his band. He watched on as his band was primped, preened and gelled to perfection before the shoot. "Look, it's the return of bat hair," Yami snickered, flicking at the spikes in Bakura's hair. 

            The white-haired guitarist looked less than impressed and swatted at him. "You're one to talk! Have you seen your vortex mass of hair?" he demanded, then suddenly put Yami in a headlock.

            Shadi sighed. "I don't know what happened between you two to suddenly be the best of friends, but quit horsing around. You don't want to be in hair and makeup for another ten hours, do you?" 

            Joey shook his head. "I don't think they're listening, Shadi. Don't waste your breath." The older boy sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Where is this famous photographer anyway?" 

            "Right here, darling," Lizeth said, walking into the studio. "I'm sorry for being so late, but I had to get everything ready. Mr. Kaiba here was very specific on how he wanted this shoot to go. I can't let such a client down, can I? Now let's go ladies." 

            "Yami resembles that statement, now don't you?" Bakura snickered, as they walked over to the green backdrop. "What the hell is with the screen?"

            "I do my photos with digital and traditional cameras gents," Lizeth explained, setting up the tripod for the traditional camera. "I add in backgrounds and stuff on site. But no retouching!" She laughed at this, obviously remembering one of those 'you had to be there' moments, as the band looked baffled. "Now that would be lying to your fans, now wouldn't it? Okay, let's get started!" 

            The shoot went faster than they expected, and were not surprised when the media showed up to cover the happenings. Lizeth allowed a few of them into her studio during the break at the hour and a half mark. After they answered the typical questions, most of them went away. But one of them pulled a thin device out of his pocket, which looked like a pen, and clicked it, setting it on the table. "I'm starving, who's coming with me to get something to eat?" Malik asked. 

            "I'm hungry," Shadi said, and walked over to him. "What about you two?" 

            Yami shook his head. "I'll be fine." 

            Bakura echoed the sentiment of the vocalist. "I can last for the last hour." Shadi and Malik nodded, leaving the room in search of nourishment. Yami sighed and rubbed his head. "Eh? What the hell's the matter with you, Akaiame?" 

            "Huh? Oh, it's nothing…" 

            "Bull shit it's nothing. What's bugging you so much? You've been about as thrilled as a dead cactus the last few weeks." 

            "…Can you even *kill* a cactus?" 

            Bakura gave an aggravated sigh. "That's not the damned point. What's up with you?" Bakura got up, and sat down beside Yami, near the table. "You've been brooding more than you usually do." 

            Yami frowned, and looked at him. (I don't know if I can even talk to you about it…but it's better than no one.) "Alright, I'll be frank. I'm seeing someone, and it's been a really long time since I've seen them, more than half a year." 

            "…And you're worried that this woman's going to be pissed off enough to kick you out?" Bakura supplied, leaning back. 

            "If it was a woman, I wouldn't be this depressed about it," Yami muttered.

            At this, Bakura shot straight up like an ironing board and looked at the vocalist. "Wait a minute! Did I just hear you right? It *isn't* a woman?"

            Yami shook his head. "No, it's not, it's a guy." 

            Bakura's dark eyes looked very baffled before he slapped his forehead. "I should have known. No one dresses in those shiny tight pant things without being gay." 

            "Will you keep it down?" Yami hissed. "I don't know who could be listening and you're not exactly the ideal person I wanted to have a heart-to-heart with." With Bakura's snickering halted, Yami continued. "It's Yugi…and I'm worried that he hates me now for not even trying to contact him." 

            There was a bit of a pause as Bakura tried to weigh what Yami had just told him. "Wait, that runt from ML? Jeez, I thought you'd at least have good taste. Eh – but you're both in bands, and he's got to realize that. Or are you just babysitting?" 

            "Bakura!" Yami exclaimed, appalled at the statement. "It's not like that at all! I love him, I really do, it's just work's getting in the way and I can't talk to him as much as I usually did. It's becoming a real pain in the ass, this thing. I don't know what to do." 

            Putting his hand under his chin and looking thoughtful, Bakura finally replied, "Well there isn't much you can do, pineapple head. We're too busy for anything like that…and Seto isn't about to let you travel all the way back to North America to try and find the guy." 

            Yami put a hand to his head. "I know! I know that! But … I just feel so …Ah, I don't even know how to feel! It's ridiculous!" He looked at the table and picked up the pen, clicking it off, and fiddled with it, needing something to keep his hands busy as he talked. "I want to do something, but can't. It's so stupid!" He frowned, putting the pen back on the table. 

            Bakura nudged the younger boy in the side. "Look, just don't get all tortured artist on me, alright? I am not going to put up with you crying yourself to sleep, okay?" 

            Yami couldn't help but smile and gave a half-hearted punch to Bakura's arm. "Yeah, don't worry. I won't bother you with my womanly ways." Bakura smirked and looked over as Shadi and Malik came back, and blinked as Malik threw him a sandwich. (Malik…) "What's this?" 

            "That would be a sandwich," Malik replied, apparently not realizing the magnitude of the simple gesture. "You're a shitty liar, Bakura." Suddenly, Bakura's stomach growled. "Case in point." Yami looked at Shadi, who gave a very informative shrug. 

            Bakura looked at the sandwich and then to the floor. "Thanks…" Unwrapping the plastic, he bit into it then chewed. (It's my favourite sandwich…Malik always knew…Damn it, what the hell do I do now? I've…I don't know…Fuck, I'm beginning to sound like shiny-pants over there.) 

            Lizeth soon came in behind Shadi and Malik, and smiled. "Well, are we all fed? I have only a few more shots with you guys, and then I'm going to do some of just your manager." 

            Bakura snickered. "You mean Coat Man is finally getting in front of the camera? How the hell did you manage that one?" 

            Lizeth grinned, and winked. "It's one of my secrets, Mr. Akuma." Bakura laughed and finished off the rest of the sandwich. "Mr. Kaiba? Where are you?" 

            The band turned, and nearly fell over laughing at how foofed up their manager looked dressed in a sharp, modern Armani suit. His hair was gelled, and he smelled of expensive cologne. A SK pin was on one of the lapels of his jacket, and around his neck, resting under the collar of his black turtleneck was the lion pendant on its long chain. Malik gave a whistle. "Well, aren't we looking like the seventy billion dollars we own?" he asked, smirking.

            Seto rolled his eyes. "Shut up. That's all I have to say to you, Ishtar. Shut up," he said, brushing some lint off the jacket. "Let's just get this over with." 

            Yami grinned, and stood up, as did the rest of the band. "Of course…" He tried fairly hard to keep from snickering, but failed miserably, and fell into a fit of laughter, soon followed by everyone else. Seto was less than impressed, to say the least. "Just as soon…ahahaha…as I find my …ha-ha…lungs!"

            Bakura pushed Yami over to where the green backdrop was. "Let's go, chuckles." 

            When the shoot was done, the band quickly left, back to their hotel. Lizeth was cleaning up her supplies and checking to see if the shots on the digital camera were to her liking. A man walked in, dressed in casual jeans and a t-shirt. "Excuse me," he began.

            Lizeth turned around and blinked. "Yes, can I help you?" 

            "I'm sure you can. You see, I was in here earlier with the press, and damn my memory, I left my pen in here. You can't miss it, its silver one with 'PZ' engraved on it," the man explained. 

            Lizeth looked thoughtful. "I think I know what you're talking about. Oh! Here? Is this it?" She picked up the same pen that Yami had been fiddling with during the break and handed it to him. 

            The man smiled. "Yes, this is it alright. I'm terribly sorry for bothering you, Miss. Lizeth." 

            She waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Have a good day, sir." 

            He nodded. "Yes, you too, my dear girl. You too." He gave her a handshake before adjusting his hat and walking out of her studio. Once he was out of the building, he pressed down the gold-coated clip on the pen, and smirked, hearing two distinct voices coming out of the speaker, hidden in the top of the pen. "Perfect. This is just the story I need." Pulling his coat closer to his lanky frame, he tucked the pen safely away into his breast pocket and continued down the cobblestone street. 

            "No kidding? Malik Ishtar is your brother?" Ryou questioned, as he and Marik sat around the hotel room they shared in Denver, Colorado, USA, a day after Millennium Dark's photo shoot in London. "That's absolutely amazing!" 

            Marik smiled and ate a French fry, stealing it from Ryou's box. "It was absolutely incredible, Ryou. I didn't think I'd ever find him. And he's not such a bad guy." He then frowned. (But he also told me that he's having relationship problems with his boyfriend, that Akuma idiot…) Glancing at Ryou who was happily telling him about his sister who was studying in Britain to be an archaeologist. (I can't tell him that the guy he's crushing on is with my brother. It'd absolutely destroy him.) "So do you think she'd go to Egypt?" he asked idly.

            Ryou nodded excitedly. "She desperately wants to discover the tomb of the boy Pharaoh of the Amenhotep Dynasty, who allegedly was betrayed by his trusted High Priest back in Ancient Egypt." He took another fry, and dipped it into the little cup of ketchup. "I don't remember the entire history; she kind of has a habit of rambling and going off topic." 

            His blonde friend grinned and poked Ryou in the stomach. "Just like you, eh?" Ryou stuck out his tongue in a very mature fashion and Marik laughed. "Have you seen Yugi?" 

            Ryou immediately became concerned. "Not recently. He's been really quiet lately. I'm worried about him, Marik. Yugi's never that quiet or depressed…I mean, it doesn't show on stage when we perform, but you see it immediately when we come back—" At that moment, Shaadi and Yugi came into the room. "There you are!" 

            Yugi looked up, his purple eyes displaying a hidden sadness. "Hey guys…" 

            "What's the matter, little man?" Marik asked, raising an eyebrow.

            The shorter male shook his head. "It's nothing, just not feeling so hot right now, that's all." Suddenly Mai walked in, slamming the door open and a rolled up newspaper in her hand. "Mai??" 

            Mai glared down at him. "Do you know what's been on the news lately?" she demanded, and the boys looked behind to a very scared looking Tristan. 

            "Of course we don't know what's on the news," Bakura snorted, looking at Seto. "You keep us so damn isolated." 

            "Then I'll tell you what's going on! Look at this!" Mai exclaimed, throwing the newspaper down at little Yugi. "Look real hard and tell me what you see!" 

            Yami took the newspaper and unfolded it completely, and glanced at the headline on the front page. 

            Yugi's heart stopped. 

            "AKAIAME AND MOTOU OF RIVAL BANDS IN PASSIONATE AFFAIR GONE SOUR!" 

**-TBC- **

**Author's notes: **Well, how did that go? *Grins* I hope it was worth the wait. Until the next time I have the time, stay tuned for more MD!  


	10. Falling to Pieces

**Chapter 10 "Falling to pieces."**  
  
**Author's notes:** So all the random reviews I've been getting recently for MD have been suggesting you all want me to update. So here we are.

* * *

Yami grimaced and sank further into his seat as Seto verbally lambasted him in the now empty hotel room. He was hoping that there was some power that would allow him to defy the laws of physics and become one with the chair. So far it wasn't working. Seto barely stopped to take a breath as Yami winced and tried to cover his face with his hands, or at least try and wish his oversized pendant would do something to save his life before his manager killed him.  
  
"How the hell could you possibly keep this from me?! I could have been at least a little more prepared!" Seto yelled, throwing the newspaper at Yami. "Now I have this piece of crap telling me that you're dating a dwarf?! Not only a dwarf, but the lead singer of our greatest rival?! What were you thinking?!"  
  
"Seto, I wasn't –"  
  
"Wasn't what?! Thinking clearly because I wouldn't have even GUESSED that's what you weren't doing!" Seto cut him off. "I don't even care that you're gay, but of all the guys you could have had, you chose YUGI MOTOU?!"

* * *

Yugi frowned as Mai paced back and forth across the room, not saying a word. As used as he was to her fits, her mood swings and everything else, the moments when she didn't say a word scared him the most. He was sitting in a chair that completely dwarfed him and he looked on with large amethyst eyes. Even though he was sure that his eyes were going to cross over from watching her pace so much, Yugi dared not to say anything that would jolt the tense situation.  
  
Suddenly, Mai stopped pacing and Yugi snapped to attention. "I don't even know what to say to you, Yugi!" Mai exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "I thought you out of the entire band were the most intelligent! Didn't you think that this would create the biggest controversy since the debate of whether Michael Jackson's black or white?!" Mai's jacket was sitting on a chair in the hotel room, her sleeves rolled up.  
  
The smaller of the two didn't say anything to that for a while. Finally he replied, "But M-Mai ... I didn't know it was so wrong to be in love."  
  
That nearly stopped Mai in her tracks. "It's not wrong to love someone, but damn it, Yugi, why couldn't you have chosen someone ELSE? Someone who wasn't Yami Akaiame? This is going to ruin us!"  
  
She didn't have to add it, but Yugi did in his mind. _It's going to ruin us, and it's your fault, Yugi.  
_

* * *

Shadi looked to Bakura and Malik. "What do you think he's doing in there?" he asked, quietly.  
  
"Probably ripping Yami's head off and spinning it on a pike," Bakura suggested, looking a bit worried. He rubbed his head and looked at the other two. "Maybe I should've blurted his little secret to Seto like I said I would when he told me."  
  
Malik and Shadi did a double take before looking at the white haired guitarist. "You knew?!" Shadi exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down, and failing horribly. "Why the hell didn't you say anything sooner?"  
  
Bakura seemed a bit stunned by Shadi's exclamation. "Believe it or not, I'm friends with Shiny-Pants now and he did ask for me to keep it a secret." He shrugged. "It's his own damn fault for not telling Seto."  
  
"Bakura," Malik finally spoke, "think about it for a moment. You're dating the lead singer of your band's biggest rival. Would you go and tell our esteemed, short-tempered manager?"  
  
For a moment, Bakura didn't seem to have an answer to the inquiry. "Malik, it would have gone a hell of a lot better if he didn't pussy foot around it either. When did he think it would have been a good time? When we're all buddies and sipping tea? Or maybe when we finally go on Oprah? Springer sound better to you?"  
  
"Oh shut up," Malik refused to concede the point, and Shadi looked between the two of them, surprised they were having a civilized conversation. About as civilized as those two would ever get, good day or no. "Why are we even standing outside the door eavesdropping like a bunch of old women?"  
  
"Because everyone loves some good gossip," Bakura replied, pressing his ear against said door. He blinked, and then pressed harder against the wooden door. Malik and Shadi looked at each other perplexed. "Eh—what the hell is going on in there?" Bakura muttered quietly to himself. "They've stopped talking." He turned to the two tanned ones, "Do you think Seto killed him?"  
  
Shadi lowered his head, shaking it ruefully. "There are times when I think you really dyed your hair white and the chemicals from the dye have destroyed your brain cells, Bakura." Putting his hands up in the air, Shadi lowered one to smack Bakura upside the head. "Let's go practice or something."  
  
Bakura rubbed his head and muttered curses under his breath. Yet he relented and followed Malik and Shadi down to the rehearsal room. However, the white haired guitarist was not without retribution as he tripped up Shadi on his way to the drum set and sent the dark haired one nearly crashing into his prized instrument. It was a highly contrasting mood compared to the one their lead singer was experiencing.

* * *

Mai had left the room, leaving the paper with Yugi, complaining that there was so much crap now she had to deal with. The smaller of the two stared at the paper, biting his lip. How did a thing like this get out? He had no earthly idea. With a shaking hand, Yugi reached out for the newspaper, hoping that when he read it, that the article would be a bunch of nonsense and that none of this was truly happening.  
  
The paper was already heavily creased as Mai was folding and unfolding it during her previous rant. Yugi frowned as his eyes began reading the lines. Line by line, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, column by column, his heart sank. Everything was accurate, right down to where they met for the first time. "No," Yugi whispered, but as hard as he tried to pull his eyes away from the glaring accusations, he had to keep reading. Could there be something that could easily disprove this?  
  
However, the next three lines proved Yugi wrong. It was a quote. From Yami. He spoke of their relationship, and how he didn't have time for it anymore. Yugi's hands began to shake as his eyes froze on the quote. "Yami did this?"

* * *

Yami swallowed hard, as Seto stormed out of the room over two hours later, slamming the door so hard that he could hear a crack rip through the wood. He heard Seto spaz on Bakura, Shadi and Malik, but none of the words he said to them registered with Yami. Nothing mattered. Slowly he got to his feet and ran his tongue over his chapped lips. Yami ran a hand through his hair, and looked around the room.  
  
The room, which had once been one of Yami's favourite hotel rooms that he'd ever stayed in, quickly became the room he wanted nothing more than to leave. "God, how could this happen? I thought I'd been so careful..."  
  
He turned suddenly, as the door opened with a painful creak. Bakura stepped in, and closed it behind him gently. The guitarist didn't need to say anything; Yami could see it in his eyes. Yami looked at him, his purple eyes lost and confused. "Eh...how are you...holding up? Still have your hearing?"  
  
"This isn't the time for jokes, Bakura," Yami half-snapped, sinking down to the floor. Bakura sucked in a sharp breath and walked over.  
  
"Best time if you ask me," Bakura replied, kneeling down. "Hey, Spike ... I don't know you don't know what the hell to do right now...that's why I'm here. What you need to do right now is phone the squirt—Yugi. Phone him and sort this mess out."  
  
"B-But, Bakura...what if he doesn't want to speak with me?"  
  
"That doesn't matter. You phone and you tell Yugi what is really going on, and if he doesn't accept that, then maybe the brat didn't really love you."  
  
Yami stared at him for a moment, completely stunned that all this was coming from Bakura. "Y-You're not Bakura...what kind of impostor are you?" Yami said brokenly, wiping at his eyes.  
  
"Eh!" Bakura smacked the lead singer upside the head. "The one time I'm trying to comfort your candy ass and you're saying this? You're a tool, Yami. Seriously. Look, I'll even get the phone for you. Just don't tell anyone, alright?"  
  
Yami nodded and watched as Bakura stood back up, went to Yami's bag and picked up his cell phone. He came back over and sat down, giving Yami the phone. "Thank you, Bakura..." Bakura nodded and waved his hand. The tri- coloured haired singer stared at the phone momentarily before dialling Yugi's cell phone.

* * *

Ryou frowned, as he looked over at Maric and Shaadi. "Should we go in there now?" he asked, biting his fingernail.  
  
Maric shook his head and sighed heavily. "He's going to need some time to himself, Ryou. I think we're all going to need some time to figure out just what the hell is going on here."  
  
"What is going on here, though?" Shaadi asked, looking at his band- mates. "Yugi is dating Yami; although I see why Mai is so upset from a career standpoint...it was still harsh to say those things to Yugi. He couldn't help whom he fell in love with." He looked at the door of the room Yugi was in. "I think we should be there for him. This is a really rough time, if he believes any of what is in that paper."  
  
Ryou nodded and smiled slightly. "You're quite right, Shaadi! He's our band-mate, but more importantly, Yugi is our friend. We need to be there for him. Even if he doesn't want us to be there, we have to be." The three nodded to each other before Ryou opened the door of the room. "Yugi?"

* * *

Seto walked right out of the hotel, onto the streets and just walked. He needed to walk off this anger, this absolute furious mood he was in. People parted instantly for him, he was as famous as his band was. His trench-coat flared behind him as he stalked through the crowds, uncaring of the clap of thunder that signalled a downpour. All that ran through his mind was the newspaper article.  
  
The headline seemed to mock him, ridicule and desecrate everything that he had worked so hard to create. All his years of work with Millennium Dark were going to blow up in his face over a homosexual affair with their rival's lead singer. There was no way that he could rebound this, not when it is this high profile. Anything he said would be mutilated and regurgitated into some other kind of bullshit. The media was always this way, and because it was him, because he was Seto Kaiba and this was his band, most of the blame would go squarely on his shoulders.  
  
Rain pounded on him relentlessly, as the British locals scrambled to open their always handy umbrellas; Seto continued walking in no particular direction. He continued walking, for what seemed like hours on end, before finally falling to his feet in a park, in front of flawless white stone steps. He bowed his head, and clenched his fists tight enough to have his nails break the skin. Slippers lightly but quickly stepped down the steps and around him, the chatter of women unintelligible to him.  
  
In a few moments, the patter of slippers stopped, and Seto was certain that he was alone. Alone with his thoughts, and the absolute destruction at the hands of this scandal, which was out of his hands. Seto Kaiba never hand anything out of his hands. Everything was always meticulously calculated and executed by him and him alone. "I'm going to be ruined by this," he hissed. "I'm a failure."  
  
"Well, I could have told you that," a voice said in front of him and Seto's head snapped up and his eyes widened. "You work for so many years and give up at the first sign of trouble? My first instinct about you was right."  
  
Seto's mouth hung open before he pursed his lips. He blinked, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. In front of him was a young brown- skinned woman dressed in a shimmering white Saree, adorned with simple silver jewellery. "S-Simran?"

* * *

Yugi turned around suddenly as he heard his own cell phone ring. "I thought I turned it off," he muttered, and got up, leaving Ryou, Maric and Shaadi standing at the door. He picked up the phone and clicked it on. "Hello?"  
  
"Yugi, it's me..."  
  
"Yami?!"  
  
"I want ... did you see the newspaper?"  
  
"How could I not?" Yugi's voice was bitter, as he gripped the phone. "Why didn't you tell me that you didn't have time for us anymore?!"  
  
Yami paused. "Yugi, I do have time for us, I will always make time for us. That paper just printed lies, I—"  
  
"Did you or did you not say 'work is getting in the way and it's becoming a pain in the ass, this thing.' Did you or did you not?"  
  
"Yes, but I—"  
  
Yugi's lip trembled, but his voice remained firm. "Then...if you said it, this is the end, Yami Akaiame! We're finished! I hate you!" And he hung up, holding back tears.

**-TBC-**


	11. Strangers in a moment

**Chapter 11"Strangers in a moment." **

**Author's notes: **I figure I'd be nice to you all and give you another update in the same year. Wasn't that nice of me? Laughs No, you've all been exceedingly patient and I thank you so very much for still having hope on this story and me. It means a lot.

Yami stared at the phone; the loud, painful sound of the dial tone had been his only response from Yugi since the younger boy hung up. The hand holding the phone began to tremble; slightly at first, then it shook so much that he dropped the phone. His mouth opened and closed numerous times, but nothing came out. Bakura blinked slowly, and frowned, realizing what must have happened.

At first the guitarist thought that Yugi was merely letting Yami have it, and must have been yelling quite loud for Yami to hold the phone that far away. But now the heavy traffic outside had been corralled into a gridlock, and he could hear the monotonous tone. "Yami, man I…don't know what to say…eh!"

Suddenly Yami had dropped the phone and thrown his arms around Bakura in a fit of painful sobs. Bakura was more than startled, and looked down at the mess that had once been his preachy lead singer. "I didn't say those things!" Yami exclaimed, his voice breaking. "I would _never_ say those things about him!" He curled into a crumpled mess in Bakura's loose grip, "It can't get any worse, can it?"

Bakura frowned, and winced. He couldn't stand crying, he always thought it was weak as all hell, but now someone was leaning on him for emotional support and he had no earthly idea how to give it. Being blunt and course wasn't going to help Yami any and he felt that his friend didn't deserve that kind of help in this state. "Don't say that," he finally said, "a lot of shit's going to hit the fan now that this is out in the open…" Bakura exhaled heavily and idly stroked Yami's hair. "And you need to get this crying stuff out of your system before we get out of this hotel room…"

As Bakura moved to shift so his legs wouldn't cramp up, Yami yelped and gripped his arms. "Don't go!" Yami exclaimed, looking into Bakura's visible brown eye with his own terrified amethyst ones. "B-Bakura…don't leave me here…"

"Oy," Bakura muttered under his breath. He reached with his hand to grab the phone and turned it off. "Alright, I'll stay with ya, Yami…Until you get this crying stuff out of your system." He grimaced as Yami clung to him, his grip more powerful than Bakura had expected. "Remember, I have ribs. Watch that grip, Akaiame…!"

Yugi slammed the phone down on the dresser, not caring for the audible crack he heard as he did so. Ryou blinked and nearly retracted from entering the room. Maric nudged him in the back and Ryou quietly walked in. "Yugi?"

The shorter boy turned around and frowned. "I don't want to talk right now."

Ryou closed the door behind him, narrowly missing closing it on Maric's tanned fingers. "Come now, Yugi…I've known you for a while. Right now you really need to talk to someone. Make heads or tails out of what you're feeling right now." He crossed over to where Yugi was standing, being careful of the younger man's things scattered about the hotel room floor. "So I'm not leaving until you talk."

Yugi frowned but eventually relented with enough pestering by Ryou. "I was talking to Yami…that headline…it was all him…that's exactly what he told the press and I don't know… I don't know why he would do such a thing. I thought he loved me, and that…and that he wouldn't say anything to the press about us until I was ready, when we were both ready…"

Ryou blinked slowly. "That doesn't make quite a lot of sense, Yugi." He scratched his chin, perplexed. "If this was as you say, then he doesn't sound like the type to say such things, especially about such a thing."

"I know, but he said it!" Yugi exclaimed, throwing his face into his hands. "He admitted to me when I phoned him!" His purple eyes looked at Ryou, now with a sullen determination burning within them. "Now he's going to have to deal with the consequences of losing me."

"Actually, we're going to have to deal with the consequences of what happened," Ryou pointed out. "Now that it's out there that you two were a couple, or are, or whatever the bloody hell they decide to make of it, the entire band is effected." Yugi's face fell, as he hadn't thought of that before it was mentioned. "But no matter what happens, we're going to be behind you, the rest of the band. So don't you worry about us abandoning you, alright?"

Yugi nodded slowly, even though the fear still stuck in his stomach about the band just taking back this vow and leaving him alone. "T-Thank you, Ryou…it means so much to me…"

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Ryou smiled, wiping Yugi's eyes gently with a pale finger. "Now, shall we get this place in order? You made quite a mess of it earlier." Yugi flushed light pink and Ryou chuckled.

Shadi had crossed the hallway of Yami's room four times, and each time, Malik hadn't moved from his spot in front of the door. His hand was still lightly placed against the burgundy-painted wood, his eyes still fixated on it. "Malik? You've been there for the past hour," Shadi said, and was surprised when Malik didn't turn. "Malik?"

"I know," Malik replied softly, his fingernails lightly grazing the wood. "He's in there with Yami."

He didn't have to say much more, Shadi realized exactly was going on. Malik had been standing there, as Bakura was comforting Yami, possibly hoping for a chance to talk to the white-haired guitarist. Or catch him on a comfort-momentum swing. "Yeah, I bet Yami hasn't let him go since he stepped in…those two are unlikely friends, you have to admit."

Malik sighed, but still didn't move. His fingers clenched in slightly, the pads of his fingers sliding down the burgundy door. "Why can't I get close to him anymore?" Malik asked, frowning. "Yami is in a crisis right now, I understand that, but … it seems like he's slipping further and further away from me."

Shadi frowned, and didn't dare pull Malik away from the door. To disrupt the touchy situation on either side of the door. "There's so much happening right now, and so much that has yet to happen because of this scandal. I wouldn't give up hope yet, Malik. First we have to deal with this thing with Yami and that kid, and maybe somewhere in there, or after the storm, you and Bakura can sit down and talk this out. But right now, everyone is already on edge…"

Malik's hand slid down until his palm was flat against the wood. "I know…but I still, I don't know how much I can take this. Being in the same room, same vicinity, just a few feet away from him and feel like we're worlds apart." His purple eyes were downcast, focussing on the faint ridges embedded in the door. Malik's nails scratched the surface, as his fist clenched. "And right now, he's in there pushing it all away and … maybe it's the right thing to do, to comfort Yami, since neither of us…know what he's really going through. But…"

"You believe he should help himself before he helps others?" Shadi finished, leaning against the wall, Malik's back facing him. Malik nodded slightly, swallowing. "In a fair world, I suppose he would have the time to do that… or perhaps, by helping Yami, and having someone depend on him for emotional support so completely, is helping him with his own problems." _Of course, I could also be talking a bunch of philosophical shit. But you never know in these situations…_

This was a publicist's worst nightmare, Joey decided. Unpredictable scandals are one thing, but he _knew_ about this one, and he also decided, that Seto was never going to know that he _did_ know about it, because if he did…well there would be no Joey Wheeler alive. He couldn't take three steps without his phone ringing and reporters from every spot on the globe demanding in various languages what the band's stance was on the new scandal, if there was even a scandal, or if they knew about it all the time and planned to use it in some evil spin-machined plot.

In a rare moment of peace, which in Joey's world was about five minutes, he reclined in his chair, his neck resting on the top crown of the chair. He exhaled sharply, and deeply, reaching blindly for his glass and Joey frowned when he saw that it was empty. Slowly he pushed himself to his feet, and staggered for a moment, momentarily disoriented. His centre of balance was thrown off kilter, but soon Joey regained it, and with the help of the wall as his guide, he made it to the bathroom. As he opened the tap, Joey's mind wandered over past and present events, and his own inner feelings.

There was barely any time to think about himself. Or what he even thought of things was rarely thought of. He had to condition himself to think how Seto would think it, or actually, Seto would _tell _him how to say their stance on anything was. Now that he had some valuable time to himself, Joey wasn't entirely sure what _he _thought of the situation. Well, he was sure that Yami had told him in confidentiality that he was dating Yugi Motou, and that he wasn't entirely sure of where it was going to go. At the time, Joey had just assumed Yami needed someone to let out steam to. Then again, Joey's instinct that this was going to turn out to be a gigantic circus had also proven right. But he was sure that was years of cynicism beaten into him by the business.

The business could be a soul-sucking whore, as someone so eloquently put it, Joey knew that. As for the person who put the personality of the business in such perfect terms, the blond was sure it was Bakura. If it wasn't, Bakura was getting credit in his mind. There he went, thinking like other people again. How did Joey Wheeler feel?

Joey felt…like an un-ended sentence. Something that drifted off, and didn't end. There's meaning at the end of it, but there are no words to describe it; or the words just left his mind as soon as the time came up to say something.

Say something … to Seto.

To Seto? About what?

About what he thought of him? What _did _Joey think of his esteemed boss? Well, he was strict as hell, but because he was so strict and organized, everything ran smoothly. Once everyone knew their roles, and what they could do, it ran like a well-oiled machine. But he had a feeling, when Joey really thought about it, that Seto was using work to fill up a deep hole within himself. Something had caused that hole, and Joey had always wanted to be the one, friend or something more, to help Seto, to fill that void. But, he always realized that it was stupid.

But why was it stupid? Was it stupid because Seto would refuse help from anyone, especially his band's publicist? Why was he so untouchable that even someone like Joey couldn't get through to him?

That was the final straw for Joey Wheeler. He decided then that he would go out, and tell Seto how he felt. Everyone else seemed to be expressing their feelings. And even if Joey wasn't entirely sure what he felt, he needed to get something out of his system. Even if he had to search most of London, he'd do it. When Joey set his mind to something, it would get done, regardless of the consequences.

After all, what was the worst that could happen?

**-TBC- **

**Author's note: **Sorry this is so late. No real excuse other than school and I was lazy. Extremely lazy. I hope you all forgive me. If not…then keep harassing me. I'll get to work, really. sweatdrops


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 "Investigations."**

Author's notes: Wow, it's been four years since I've posted a chapter of this fic. I really don't have anything to say other than I fell out of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Fandom since then, but recently I've gotten somewhat back into it. I went on a search for Lizeth's pictures that started everything, and I decided that I'd come back to this story fresh, and with a more matured writing style. Also, no apologies. This story is going to be written how I want it, and I'll stick to my guns, this time. I'm not too sure how much longer the story will be, but I will finish it properly. Enjoy!

"Reactions to this ... _incident_, I'll call it, varies," Seto said slowly, sitting in his chair, looking over his desk to the four young men seated in a row in front of him. He tossed several magazines that ranged from reputable, to the teen-centered, right down to the never-to-be believed tabloids that ran such stories as 'Woman had alien baby with three heads and six arms! Parents overjoyed at ruling the galaxy!'.

"...How much of a variance is there?" Yami glanced up from having been staring fixatedly at his studded wristbands.

Seto spared him a brief, expressionless glance before continuing on. "They range from the far right wanting to flay us, to the far left wanting to push the image of a homosexual couple to promote tolerance. Though, I should say that what our core demographic, our fans, think of the entire thing."

"Have they joined their grandparents with the pitchforks and torches?" Bakura sneered, leaning back in his chair. "If they'd like, I'm sure I could give them something to really be worried about."

"--No, that's completely unnecessary. But if I find the reporter that started this mess, you could start with him." Seto picked up one of the teen magazines, and flipped it open to the cover story. "It seems our female teenage fans find this to be quite... a good thing. Who knew teen girls wanted to see two male vocalists together? They seem quite sympathetic and supportive. It was a surprise to find all those fan-letters of support."

"Quite a few even sent ya cookies!" Joey piped in, grinning. "Not ta take away from da seriousness of da situation or anythin', but hey, at least our fans aren't abandonin' us."

Shadi looked rather impressed, and after looking at Yami's unchanged expression, could tell that he was far more concerned with what Yugi thought of him than anyone else. "Kaiba .. I can take a guess at what you're going to say next. We aren't going to make any mention of this unless we have to, correct? We'll continue to record our album and let this spin itself."

Seto nodded, pleased that _someone_ had their head on straight. Then again, he was pretty sure Bakura's could spin around on his neck like a top at the drop of a hat. "Exactly. There's no need to make any statements of any kind. That would only fan the flame of 'controversy'. We'll let it do what it needs to, and if we need to make a statement or get involved in this media clusterfuck, then we will."

"Fine with us," Malik said, twirling the Rod in his hand. "Yami."

Yami started slightly and looked over. "Yes?"

"..Get yourself out of the pit of despair you're intent on throwing yourself into," Malik answered, standing up. "Or at least use it to write some songs. We've got an album to finish."

Shadi stood up as well, as did Bakura. "He's right. We can all use something else to focus on while this media storm is going on around us. What do you say?"

Yami looked uncertain, and gave a long sigh. "I don't kn---" Suddenly, Bakura yanked him up by his arm. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Bakura was unrepentant. "Getting your depressed ass up, what does it look like? You know, most songwriters get their angst out through this stellar new idea called _writing songs_. You should put your energy into that instead of sulking. It'd be easier on ever -- why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ah .. I'm sorry. It's just hard not to be surprised when you're being _nice_, Bakura," Yami explained, a very thin smile crossing his lips. "I appreciate it. No, not just that. That night in my hotel room, as well."

"Look! My patience is getting paper-thin!" Bakura interrupted, looking more embarassed than angry. He gave Yami a shove, though not as hard as it should have been if he were truly angry. "Move!"

Papers, photographs, printouts and other documents were scattered everywhere on a well-used brown desk, the small office which housed the desk being lit by a ceiling light, but the desk also had a desklamp ready for those late nights. A young woman sighed, and picked a piece of paper up that had some information printed on it, with a picture of Yami Akaiame, the lead vocalist for the pop-rock band Millennium Dark. Flipping the picture up, she looked at the paper it was clipped to, as if the words she had read hundreds of times before would somehow yield new information. With a heavy sigh, the paper and its partner photograph back on the desk, picking up the third-rate paper that had initially broken the story of the secret affair between Akaiame and Motou.

"Something reeks about this article. There's no way a guy like Akaiame would never say something like that .. but how do I go about proving it?" she muttered to herself, flipping through the story, which was written with obvious, sensationalized bias.

"Why do you _need_ to prove it?" came a voice from the doorway, and she looked up from the organized chaos on her desk. Ryuji Otogi, the famed guitarist and lead singer of his own band _Snake-Eyes_, was leaning against the doorframe. "You were supposed to spend the day with me, Simran, remember?"

Simran gave a thin, apologetic smile. "Ryuji..." She shook her head, and stood up, stretching. "I got caught up in--"

"Your work, I know." Ryuji waved a hand, causing the die earring he wore on his left ear to swing slightly. "You're getting to be as bad as that Ex of yours. Come on, leave the investigating for a little bit and come with me?"

"All right, all right ... stop looking at me like that." Simran rubbed her neck, and joined Ryuji by the door. "Do you mind if I talk it out loud with you? There's just something I don't understand."

Ryuji sighed, and shook his head. "All right, I know you'll just do it anyway." Smirking, he looked over at Simran. "Talk."

She smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." As she locked the office, she turned to him. "Okay. So when the intial story broke, the entire thing not only reeked of bias, but there was something unbelievably disjointed about how the facts were presented. Do you know what I mean? Like they had those slips of magnet that had words written on them, and rearranged it into a music article."

"So what you're saying is that you're trying to nail this reporter for taking Akaiame's words out of context." Ryuji ran a hand through his bangs, and hummed thoughtfully. "Make an example out of 'em?"

Simran nodded. "Yes, exactly. When you're a journalist, there's no excuse for making up things like this. Even more so when I'm convinced the reporter used ... less than ... ethical means to get those words."

Ryuji stopped and looked at her, now getting what she was hinting at. "Wait. Are you saying you're suspecting this guy bugged the room? Well! This looks less and less like an obsession with your work and something that should be done." He put his hands in his pockets. "But what are you going to do about it? Kaiba isn't going to take this as a favour, or even a good deed. Especially from you."

"I know. Kaiba's never been one to take to something like this .. or anything like this well. But I have to do this." Simran sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "I've been following Millennium Dark's schedule, and I think I know where to start looking next. -- And..that's where you come in." She grinned, patting his chest lightly. "Do you think you could possibly use that star power of yours to get an appointment with Lizeth, the photographer?"

"--! Aha. So that's your angle. Well, I suppose if I must have my picture taken by a beautiful, skillful photographer so you can get to the bottom of a scandal plaguging a band you're not involved in, who am I to say no?" Ryuji laughed and shook his head. "All right. This might be interesting."

Yami gave a long sigh, and looked down at the notebook that had been written through and over again at least half a dozen times. "I think it's done."

Bakura looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"The song I wrote for Yugi. It's going on the album and I'm going to sing it at our live performance." Yami swallowed tightly, and gripped the notebook. "I'm taking this into my own hands."

"Fine," Bakura leaned back and ran his hands through his white, spiked hair. "But I get to title it. _A love song for my love midget_. How's that?"

"BAKURA!" Yami's yell of indignance was lost over Bakura's loud cackling.

-TBC-

End Note: I've got the last chapter of MD planned out, and it should be up within a couple days. Or something like that, since I don't know when i'm actually going to get my laptop back. Thanks for reading! XD;


	13. Dark and Light in the new Millennium

**Chapter 13 "Dark & Light in the new Millennium." **

**Author's notes: **All right everyone! This is the last chapter of Millennium Dark! It's been a good ride, and this is one of my old fics that I really wanted to have finish properly. It's highly unlikely that there will be a sequel, epilogue, or side-stories. Well there's a possibility I might do _a _side-story... but who knows. I want to thank everyone that has stuck with this story, and everyone who left a review or who just started reading it for the hell of it. Enjoy the last chapter!

_**Tokyo, Japan **_

_**Studio Rehearsal Room**_

_**5:28 P.M. **_

Bakura sighed heavily, and looked down at his callused fingers, then around the room at ... well, as much as he hated to admit it, these punks were his family. They were in the midst of perfecting the song that Yami had written. The lead singer had written the words, but the music that meshed with it still had to be hammered out. Instead of being the mushy ballad that Yami had intended, they had increased the tempo to where it was sentimental, but still was upbeat enough it wouldn't be played for slow dances at some junior-high dance. Rehearsing a love song steeped in regret and still with the hope of that kind of love returning had forced some ... unnecessary feelings that Bakura had shoved deep down like any sane person would do.

Ryou Tenshii ... his ML counter-part had been on his mind since that accidental meeting. The only problem was, Bakura was fairly certain that any longer than that meeting and Ryou's body would have been sinking to the bottom of the nearest body of water. Perhaps that was a little too harsh. But Bakura knew that it was nothing more than ... longing? "Ah hell," Bakura muttered under his breath. (But he is nice, seemed sane .. maybe he'd be fun to corrupt -- damnit!) Suddenly Bakura let out a loud, frustrated yell.

At first, Yami, Shadi, and Malik didn't bother with it; Bakura occasionally did that and half the time it was for fun. However, when he yelled a second time, louder, they stopped and stared at him. "Bakura...? Are the voices in your head starting to rebel?" Shadi questioned lightly.

"You know, they haven't," Bakura growled, turning to face his bandmates. "They're all quite unanimous in that we should use that Ankh of yours to shut you up, but we're still discussing methods." Shadi merely hummed in response. "Malik!"

Malik blinked once at the sudden call of his name. "What?"

Bakura looked annoyed that the tanned boy even had to _ask_. "Come with me." Malik cast a glance at the others, but rose up from where he was sitting, his bass being set aside against the chair, following Bakura out of the room and into the hallway. "This cannot go on any longer and I must say something otherwise I really will go insane and it won't be a joke."

"Don't look at me like that...go on and get it out if you must," Malik responded, quite unsure as to where Bakura would go with this, as there were many different directions and few were positive. "What is it?"

"Listen ... I know I've been acting strangely, even for me. And yes, it is true I have been thinking of someone else. But the more I think about it the more it angers me that I would even consider wasting more than five stray thoughts on that person. I started to lose sight of what had brought me to this point. Ha! I had gotten as delusional as our 'Pharaoh'," Bakura laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "There is much I hate about this life, and even myself, so there are few things I can find to be happy about...this band of misfits of ours, and ... you. -- Do you understand what I'm saying? Nothing should come between us! Why didn't you knock some sense in to me, Malik? What stopped you before??"

Malik stared at Bakura for a long moment, taking everything in slowly, and processing it. "I don't know why I didn't do anything. You're right; I wouldn't hesitate any other time, but when I heard you were consumed with thoughts of someone else .. well .. I guess I lost it. But no one's perfect and no one's sure as hell rational when it comes to things like this. In the end, I decided to let you have your space to figure it out. I'm not going to smother you like some _girl_." Malik paused for a moment, and looked over at Bakura. "But I'm glad you came to your senses. Hell...I'm glad I came to mine."

Bakura was silent for a short moment before grabbing Malik's shirt and pulling him close for a blisteringly hot kiss against the nearest wall. Malik was stunned for a split second before returning the kiss with equal intensity. The kiss was the embodiment of their relationship - raw, honest, intense, and all-consuming. Bakura's callused fingers slid up Malik's shirt and held him tight. Though he'd never say it, at least, not with witnesses so close by, Bakura's intense gaze conveyed intensely powerful love. Malik understood that, and that was enough. "Let's get back in there."

"Yes... there's still Yami's public problem and this even more public song for that midget," Malik agreed. He stole a final, hot kiss before releasing Bakura, and opening the door back to the rehearsal room.

Yami glanced up and was the first to speak. "Is everything calm in Hell now?" Bakura merely smirked.

_**Tokyo, Japan**_

_**Exodia Records, 27th floor **_

_**6:30 P.M. **_

The secretary had told her that Kaiba was currently out of the office; something about working with the publicist in getting some kind of gig going. Well, that was just as well; it was better if he didn't know she was here. Simran still wasn't ready to face him, or with their past. She looked around the office, which hadn't changed a bit since the last she saw it -- except for the addition of a few awards and framed magazine covers. "Heh, same old Seto..." Simran laughed to herself, shaking her head, and crossed over towards the desk and was about to put a thick manilla envelope on the desk when she saw a framed photograph. "Huh? What's this? -- Oh. He still has this ugly old photo?" How many years had it been since she thought about that time. With a sigh, she placed the frame back on the desk, and placed the manilla envelope in the center. "This is everything I've found over the last few weeks... I hope it helps."

"Hope what helps? Who are you and _why_ did my secretary have a lapse in mental competance and let you into my office?"

Simran turned quickly and turned somewhat pale as Kaiba stood in front of her, arms crossed and looking like he was ready to strangle something. "Kaiba... do you really not remember me?"

Kaiba tensed as recognition dawned. "...Simran." He looked at her, then past her to the desk, where the manila envelope lay. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm an investigative journalist now..and I was tailing the guy that 'broke' that story about Akaiame and Motou. Something was fishy about it from the start and so I spent the last while digging everything up," Simran explained, shifting her position from having her arms folded to putting her hands on her hips, to just having her arms at her side, and leaving them there. "He used some recording device in a pen to capture the private conversation between Akaiame and someone else, and took the words out of context to sensationalize the story. So everything in there is what you need to take his ass to court, and whatever..and the story that I've published in a high-profile newspaper about what happened and why aren't you saying anything??"

Kaiba remained silent and just kept his blue-eyed gaze on her for what seemed like forever. "Why did you do all of this? We haven't spoken since after High School."

Simran shifted, but kept his gaze. "Because this guy stands for everything journalism shouldn't be, because it's just _wrong_ to tape someone without their knowledge and maybe I just wanted to do something to help!" Her eyes fell to the floor, then went back up to his. "We can't live together but can't we work together?"

"Hn... I suppose so. And this is what I needed to ruin that guy's life." Kaiba walked behind his desk, and picked up the manilla envelope. "So who is he?"

"...?"

"Don't '?' me. Who's the guy that's made you grow up like this? You've still got your attitude, but it's _bearable_ now." Kaiba glanced over at her. "I don't believe asking again is necessary, but it always took a few more times for it to sink in. Who is he?"

Simran smiled slightly. "Ryuji Otogi." Rubbing her arm, she continued, "I won't go into details, but he's been really good for me. Enough that I got the courage to come to your office to deliver that envelope instead of just sending a courier with it. So ... I'll see you around ... Seto."

"--Wait." Kaiba briskly walked the short distance to where she was standing, and pulled her into a deep kiss. He pulled away soon after, and looked down at her. "You're keeping in touch, this time. I don't know when I may need your help again."

"You're really lucky I didn't punch you for that." Simran smirked, though, and gave him a gentle push. "My card's in that envelope. Send me an e-mail for this gig that you were so busy arranging. I have a feeling it's going to be ... _interesting_."

_**Fukuoka, Kyuushuu, Japan. **_

_**Nishimura Hotel, 12th floor. **_

_**7:49 P.M. **_

Maric glanced at the corner of his laptop's screen, where a small notification alerted him to a new email. Assuming it was spam, Maric opened up his email client, and blinked in surprise he saw it was from Malik. Highly curious and somewhat anxious, Maric opened the email and took a few re-reads to realize what it was asking of him:

_Hey, Maric. _

_I know this is out of the blue, but I need to ask you a favour. A very important one, to be honest. Now read this carefully: Yami's written a song about Motou that we're going to perform tomorrow afternoon at Music Tops! in Tokyo. It's going to air live at 4:00 P.M. so make sure that your runt of a lead singer is watching, all right? Thanks for your help, brother. _

_P.S.: Tell Tenshii that Bakura's mine. _

_-- Malik_

"Heh..." Maric leaned over his chair and glanced around the room. Yugi was sulking in his own room, Ryou and Shaadi deciding to stay in Maric's room for the moment, as Yugi really started insisting on spending this time alone and no one had a better plan to get him out of his sulking. "Hey guys. Come over here. I think the way Yugi's going to get out of his funk has just arrived."

The Next day.

_**Tokyo, Japan. **_

_**Music Tops! studio**_

_**3:55 P.M. **_

"..._kept far apart; no more; your eyes do not lie; but won't your mind try _..." Yami murmured the lyrics softly, and fiddled endlessly with the microphone and its stand. "No, that isn't right... it has to be more upbeat .. it has to have meanin -- ow!" He turned to glare at Malik who had roughly smacked him upside the head. "_What_ was that for?"

"You're overthinking it and frankly, it's pissing us all off," Malik replied, smirking. "Sing the song from deep down, and all of that crap. But overthink it, and it's going to turn out like crap and Motou's going to have another reason to keep you dumped."

"If you're all finished with this _lovely_ heart-to-heart, we're starting," Kaiba interrupted, cutting into the conversation cleanly. "Get into your positions. There's no room for mistakes on live television, losers." He smirked, and walked over to where Joey was standing, beside camera 2.

A perky girl with brown hair and blue eyes took her position in front of them. "Welcome everyone! I'm Tea Gardener, and welcome to Mustic Tops! Today we have an exclusive, exciting, amazing performance by the number one band in the world, Millennium Dark! Get ready everyone for a brand new song that hasn't even been released yet, _Broken Puzzle!_ Hit it, guys!"

_**Fukuoka, Kyuushu **_

_**Nishimura Hotel, 12th floor, Room 1205**_

_**4:01 P.M. **_

"Guys! What are you doing? I don't want to _watch_ anything!" Yugi fussed and struggled, but in the end, was absolutely not match for both Maric and Shadi AND Ryou as they forced him to sit in a chair facing the television in the hotel room. "I just want to be alone right now --"

"_My heart is like a broken puzzle; Without you I'm all rough inside ... I try to hide the tears that I cry; my days are like the pieces of a broken puzzle; and I know you feel the same!_" Yami's voice came through loud and clear through the television, the high-energy, almost desperate tempo of the song seemed to reach out and pierce Yugi like an arrow. "_I trust your heart that begs to be kept apart no more; your eyes do not lie, but won't your mind try to grant what we both desire?_" Whipping the microphone out of the stand, Yami walked out in front of it, fist clenched, raw emotion pouring out of his mouth and breathing achingly real emotion into the lyrics. "_You said you'd stay here by my side, show me the way to go, but here I am! Here I am .. I'm all alone, sitting by my phone, and my sky is dark all day..!_"

Six months ago, Domino City, Japan

Yugi sighed in frustration and rubbed his hair irritably as he stared down at the golden puzzle on the table of the cafe he was currently occupying. 'This thing is impossible! How does Gramps expect me to solve this thing? Maybe if I press the pieces together hard enough, I can pretend they fit...' Giving it a shot, Yugi stopped partway before sighing heavily. 'Oh, this sucks!'

'Don't give up so easily,' a deep voice interjected, and Yugi looked up to find what looked to be his twin sitting down across from him -- though Yugi sourly admitted to himself that his double looked a lot cooler than he did. 'Your heart knows that the answer is still attainable, but your mind is clouding it from showing you the solution. -- here, may I?' Yugi nodded, curious to see what the stranger would do. 'Here.. see this piece? It seems to have no where to fit, but if you look at it from another angle..' his double ingeniously slid the piece in a space in the middle of the half-finished pyramid, which acted as the center.

'!' Yugi stared at the puzzle, stunned. 'That's it! I can't believe I didn't see it before!' Quickly, Yugi started to grab the remaining pieces and slid them in place with little clinks. Within a few minutes, the golden pyramid was finished, and was being wiped to a shine by Yugi's hankerchief. 'Thank you! .. oh .. I didn't get your name...'

His double laughed, a rich, gorgeous sound. 'My name is Yami. Yami Akaiame. And yours?'

'Yugi! Yugi Motou! It's really nice to meet you, Akaiame-san! -- Hey! You have a pyramid just like mine!' Yugi couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the large golden pyramid around Yami's neck.

Yami laughed again, and shook ihs head. 'It's quite all right. My mother gave me this puzzle to solve, so I know very well the frustration that it can bring to someone. But she also told me that there was only one other puzzle that existed ... a pair of golden pyramids that were linked. Do you see? There's a space for yours to connect with mine.'

'There is! It looks like we were fated to meet, Akaiame-san.' Yugi grinned, despite himself. 'What's say we be friends?'

Yami held out his hand for Yugi to shake. 'Friends...I think that sounds great .. Yugi.'

Present Day

Yugi frowned, gripping the Milennium Puzzle in his hands as he stared at the screen, unable to stop the memories from returning and persistently staying so he had no real choice but to relive them, accented by the incredibly personal song being played by Millennium Dark: "_Forget what they'd say! We're a perfect pair and isn't that worth more than gold? Just whisper (whisper) my name and I'll be there; to have and to hold ... My heart is still a broken puzzle, without you I'm all dark inside; I try to hide .. with these hopes so high, But I can't give up!_" Yami gripped the microphone, his amethyst eyes staring straight into the camera, his gaze so personal, so intense, that Yugi shuddered and bit his lip. "_My dreams are still a broken puzzle! Please.. please say that you feel the same_..."

The song finished strongly, the crowd that was lucky enough to have been there screaming loudly. Yami didn't look away from the camera until the hostess came up to him and started to ask a few questions, and pepper him with compliments.

"What are you going to do, Yugi?" Ryou finally asked.

_**Tokyo, Japan **_

_**Sennen Garden Apartments**_

_**12:56 P.M. **_

Yami's sleep had been restless and wrought with fits of waking up, looking at the time, then at the phone, then groaning pathetically. Groggily, he pulled himself out of bed, moving sluggishly to shower, change into casual clothes in preparation for taking full, lethargic advantage of his day off. His hair was left un-gelled, and was pulled into a rather loose ponytail. With a sigh, Yami reached for the remote control when there was a knock at his door -- three quick knocks, to be precise. Yami recognized that knock immediately and stood up. He was at the door before he knew it and hesitated before finally opening it to find Yugi standing there in front of him. "Yugi..."

"...Can I come in?" Yugi sounded hoarse ... and uncertain. Yami nodded and stepped back, allowing Yugi to enter the apartment. Quietly, Yami closed the door and re-locked it, gesturing for Yugi to sit down on the sofa. "Yami... I saw your performance yesterday."

"What did you think of it?" Yami wanted to ask more than that, but he mentally lambasted himself into starting simple. After all, it was he who had something to answer to, so to speak.

Yugi was silent, and fiddled with the buckles on the sleeve of his jacket. "I was really hurt by that, you know .. I wouldn't listen to anyone when they tried to explain that I was being ridiculous. But ... I .. I always worried that I was just a burden to you." Yugi looked up, his eyes starting to water a little. "Because .. you were the strong one, Yami .. you were always carrying me and I didn't think that I was equal to you! And even though a part of me knew that story must be made-up, I still thought you had had enough of me. But .. but that isn't true. Is it, Yami?"

"Of course it isn't true! Yugi... you're the most important person in the world to me," Yami answered, reaching for Yugi's hand and holding it warmly. "I couldn't say the words properly then, but a heinous man took my words out of context to further his own career. I never .. _ever_ meant to hurt you, even unintentionally. Every single word of the song I wrote is absolutely true, Yugi. Can you forgive me?"

"Forgive you?!" For a moment, Yami thought he had asked for too much. "Yami, I should be the one apologizing! You were nothing but honest with me every single moment we were together and even when we were far apart! I .. I wanted to tell you that _I'm_ sorry for not trusting you as much as I said I did! Do you forgive _me_, Yami?"

Yami stood up, and pulled Yugi up with him. "What kind of question is that, Yugi? I love you. That isn't the paper-thin love that's popularized in our industry... this is the kind of love that endures.. through anything. As long as we're together, we can face anything. Isn't that what you told me .. all those months ago?"

Yugi was speechless for what seemed like a very long minute before breaking out into a big grin. "That's right! We can beat anything if we're together.. partner." Yami smiled warmly, and pulled Yugi into a deep, loving kiss that the other gladly returned.

"YUGI!"

Both tensed, then turned towards the door. Yami was startled, and Yugi suddenly looked sheepish. Upon realizing that his lover wasn't still tensed, Yami looked down at him and raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious. "...Yugi, did you tell your band where you were going?"

Yugi's sheepish grin seemed to have widened. "Ready to take on a whole new challenge, partner?"

**-STORY END- **

**Author's notes: **That's it, everyone. I want to thank everyone that reviewed, both here and for sticking with the story, and liking it in the first place. Thank you to DarkGatomon for an incredible friendship that started from our like of each other's fics (This one and her As If! Of YGO) and for countless nights of being each other's sounding board. The song used by Yami was written by her, and can be found in its entirety here: . It's unlikely I'll return to this story again, but one never knows. Take care, everyone, and thank you!

-Sasha-


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